


Soul Mates 1/2

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Crossover, Fiction, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-12-03
Updated: 2002-12-03
Packaged: 2018-11-20 07:18:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 38,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11331075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Doggett and Reyes investigate an X-File in Wisconsin, while Mulder discovers an interesting connection between him and Doggett.





	Soul Mates 1/2

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Soul Mates 1/2

### Soul Mates 1/2

#### by Jo B

Title: Soul Mates 1/2  
Author: Jo B   
Keywords: M/D Slash, AU, first time, h&c, HL crossover Rating: NC-17  
Summary: Doggett and Reyes investigate an X-File in Wisconsin, while Mulder discovers an interesting connection between him and Doggett. Spoilers: Season 8, some season 9, and some from previous seasons. Disclaimer: The X-Files characters are the property Chris Carter, 1013 productions and Fox Broadcasting. No money is being made from their use. Warning! This story contains sex and romance between two men. Double Warning! Extreme violence, rape, DoggettTorture (for Diandra), and MulderTorture (for me). Triple Warning! Minor character death. Archive: Yes. Just leave my name attached. Web site: http://slashingmulder.com/JoB/ Author notes: This story was initially inspired by a local story in the newspaper about a Minnesota man hunting bigfoot in Wisconsin. So I decided to send Doggett and Reyes there on a case. The town of Barrett does not exist, but the county of Bayfield does, my sister and brother-in-law have a lake home up there I wonder if they know that bigfoot lives in their area. :) With most things I've written this story took on a life of it's own. 

The story takes place with Mulder leaving at the beginning of season 9. Nothing else in season 9 pertains to this story, except for parts I liked, Jeffrey Spender, Mulder's ability to talk to dead people, and Doggett's love of sausages. :D 

Special thanks to Joey and Diandra for taking the time to beta-read this story for me. 

This story is dedicated to the Fox and Hound mail list. 

* * *

Soul Mates  
By Jo B 

Barrett, Wisconsin  
Thursday, November 29, 2001  
5:30 p.m. 

The tires on the mail truck made a crunching noise as it drove down a desolate gravel road. Tiny pebbles were thrown up and hit the back bumper, with an annoying ping ping ping sound. Ben Dally had the heater in the truck turned up on high as he pulled alongside a mailbox in front of a small farm. This was the last stop on his thirty-five mile rural mail route. He flipped on the mail truck's headlights as the winter sun finally dipped below the horizon. Dally opened the box and placed several pieces of mail inside. 

"Hey, Ben!" Julian Horne greeted as he trudged down his long driveway to the mailbox carefully avoiding dangerous patches of ice. 

"Hey, Julian, how are you doing?" 

"Fine...I just finished the chores." His breath puffed out in clouds of cold white mist as he spoke. "Are you going to the town meeting tomorrow night?" 

"I wouldn't miss it." 

"How are you going to vote?" the farmer asked. 

"Against. I think the developers already cleared too much land for them city folk's cabins. We don't need to have another two hundred acres cleared," Dally said. 

"I'm voting for. We'll be able to build a better school for our kids and attract more businesses to town with the money the folks from the cities are going to be spending up here." 

"I don't like it, Julian. The more city folks, the more crime they'll bring with them. I moved away from the city for that very reason." 

Horne chuckled. "At least it will give our sheriff and his deputy something to do." 

Dally shook his head. "I better get home to my family. I'll see you tomorrow night, Julian." 

"Bye, Ben, drive safely." Horne retrieved his mail from the box after the mail truck drove off down the road. He watched the red taillights disappear over the hill, before heading back up to his house. 

A light snow had started falling as Dally turned off the gravel road onto a paved county road. He picked up speed as he drove past the large cabin development site. Acres of land had been cleared around one of Wisconsin's few remaining isolated northern lakes. As he sped around a curve his headlights fell on three figures in the road. He tried to brake but it was already too late as he ran down two of the figures. At first he thought he'd hit two small children dressed in heavy fur coats then he got a good look at the third larger figure as it roared in grief and anger. Instead of stopping the truck Dally sped up, fleeing the scene. Looking in his rearview mirror he saw several more figures emerge from the woods. 

* * *

Doggett's residence  
Thursday, November 29, 2001  
6:00 p.m. 

Doggett never felt more frustrated as he walked through his front door. He tossed his keys on a table by the door. Earlier, when he went over to Mulder's apartment he found it empty. It was a void, no furniture, no clothing, and not even a sunflower shell on the floor. He tried to find out where Mulder had gone, but Skinner and Scully were both tight-lipped. 

Why would Mulder leave only days after Scully had given birth to their child? It didn't make any sense to him. Doggett still had many questions for Mulder about the X-Files and had hoped to quiz the former agent about several cases that were in the file cabinet in the basement. 

Picking up the remote, Doggett flipped on the television to CSPAN before going into the kitchen. Along the way, he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button on his shirt. He was too exhausted to even bother to change out of his suit. Instead he grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator then walked back into the living room and collapsed tiredly on the sofa with a foot propped up on the coffee table. 

"Mulder, where the hell are you?" he muttered, his mind not following the events on the small screen. 

* * *

Dally's residence  
Barrett, Wisconsin  
Thursday, November 29, 2001  
6:30 p.m. 

Dally pulled the mail truck into the driveway of his house and pressed the remote to open the garage door. He parked inside the detached garage, then pressed the remote to close the garage door. Dally shakily got out of the truck and walked to the front to inspect the damage. There was fur and blood on the broken grill and dented fender. 

"Damn." He debated whether to call the sheriff as he walked out the side door and crossed the frozen ground to his house. 

He entered the kitchen through the backdoor then shrugged out of his coat and boots. 

"Dear, how was your day?" Lucille Dally greeted her husband with a smile. She was at the stove fixing dinner. 

Dally could see their two teenaged daughters and five-year-old son in the living room watching television. He didn't answer his wife. Instead he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. 

"Ben, what's wrong?" 

He drank half the can before answering. "I struck a couple of animals with the truck on my way home." 

Lucille frowned. "Did you damage the truck?" 

"Busted the grill and put a big dent in the fender." 

"That doesn't sound too bad-" 

"Luc, I think I hit a couple of baby bigfoots," Dally blurted out. 

"Benjamin Dally, that Rebecca Carter didn't give you any of her special brownies again, did she?" 

"I'm serious, Luc. There was a larger bigfoot in the road, I think it was their mother." Ben sat heavily on a wooden chair at the kitchen table...he was shaking badly. "You should have heard the sound she made when I hit her kids. I'll never forget it." 

"Ben, maybe you should call Sheriff Sawyer-" 

"No!" He shook his head. "Not until morning! He'll want me to show him where I hit them. Luc, I'm not going back out there at night." Dally wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and buried his face in her bosom. His shoulders shook as he sobbed. 

"Mommy, why is Daddy crying?" Timmy asked from the doorway as his wide brown eyes took in the scene. 

"Timmy, go back and watch television with your sisters," Lucille said as she rubbed her husband's back. "I'll call you when dinner is ready." 

"I'm sorry, Luc," Dally said as he pulled away from his wife and rubbed his eyes. "I'm going up to the bedroom to change." 

Lucille watched her husband walk into the living room. Their kids greeted him as he headed for the staircase. He told them he'd be right back before he started up the stairs. 

Susan and Margaret walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Mom, can we help you?" 

The girls were both taller than their mother was, and had red hair and blue eyes like their father. Susan was a year older than Margaret who had just turned seventeen on Monday. She would be graduating from high school in the spring and going off to college. 

"You can both set the table," Lucille said. 

* * *

Doggett's residence  
Thursday, November 29, 2001  
10:00 p.m. 

Doggett hung his suit in the closet and tossed his dress shirt in the bag for the dry cleaners. He wobbled slightly on his feet. He'd had a little too much beer on an empty stomach. When he was upset or worried he lost his appetite for food. He walked into the bathroom and looked at his face in the mirror. Crows feet seemed more pronounced around his eyes. Where was his life going? Forty-one years old and he was still a field agent, only now he was working in the least respected department in the entire bureau. 

How had Mulder handled the ridicule? Doggett turned on the shower and removed his remaining clothes as his beer-fuzzed brain focused on his new obsession. Fox Mulder. After months of searching for the missing agent and getting inside his head, then getting to know Mulder after he came back from the dead, Doggett felt a connection with him. He learned more about Mulder in those months of searching for him than he knew about his former wife. Doggett knew Mulder wasn't immune to the ridicule. Mulder dealt with it through sarcasm and self-effacing humor, it was better than giving in to the hurt. 

Doggett closed his eyes and let the water wash over his face as he ran a bar of soap over his chest and under his armpits. He recalled working with Mulder not even a week ago. When he looked into those chameleon eyes Doggett saw the pain and wisdom of a warrior still fighting the good fight, it had him believing in Mulder and wanting to help him. 

Those short couple of days he worked with Mulder left Doggett longing for that experience again. He was sure they could have learned a lot from each other. That is, if they didn't killed each other first. Doggett chuckled as he set the bar of soap down on the ledge and washed the soap off his chest. Mulder had infuriated him during those brief cases. 

After stepping out of the shower and drying himself, Doggett pulled on a pair of soft cotton boxers and walked into his bedroom. He folded down the covers on the bed then climbed underneath them, before reaching up and shutting off the table lamp. This had become the hardest part of his day. He couldn't stop the images from invading his mind, as he lay alone in his cold empty bed. God, what was happening to him? He closed his eyes and found himself staring again into beautiful chameleon eyes as he drifted to sleep. 

* * *

Dally's residence  
Barrett, Wisconsin  
Friday, November 30, 2001  
2:30 a.m. 

Ben Dally gagged as he woke to a horrible stench. His blood froze in its veins as a spine-piercing scream and a loud crash from downstairs in the direction of their teenage daughters' bedroom had him instantly awake. 

"Ben, the girls! Someone's in the house!" Lucille yelled as she sprang out of bed and ran toward the bedroom door. Her bare feet pounded loudly on the hardwood floor. 

"LUC, WAIT!" Dally shouted. 

Lucille froze as a large shape appeared in front of her. Her scream died in her throat as the creature crashed its fist down on her head. 

Dally reached for the baseball bat he kept under their bed and attacked the dark shape looming over his wife's body. The bat snapped in two as it impacted the side of the creature's huge head. Blood poured from the wound as the creature went into a rage. 

Across the street a light came on in the upstairs window of a small house. Rebecca Carter peered out from behind her bedroom curtains, looking toward the Dally's house. A loud noise had awakened her. She notice the lights go on in Reverend Fraser's house next door to the Dally's. Then the Reverend stepped out onto his front porch with a rifle in his hands. Snow was starting to fall harder as the Reverend carefully walked across his lawn. 

There was a loud commotion coming from the Dally's garage. Then the upstairs window shattered as an object flew out, landing in the yard. The reverend crept up to it keeping the rifle ready. His face paled and he turned and raced back to his house. 

Rebecca watched the Reverend run inside his house, before turning her attention back to the Dally's upstairs window where her eyes met those from a nightmare looking right at her. She fainted. 

* * *

Barrett Sheriff's Office  
Friday, November 30, 2001  
3:30 a.m. 

Sheriff Sawyer rinsed his mouth out in the washroom's sink. The taste of vomit still lingered on his tongue. He stepped back into his office and walked over to his desk. He'd been awakened earlier by a frantic call from Reverend Fraser about a disturbance at the Dally's house. The Reverend had been screaming about a severed arm, a foul smell from the depths of hell, and demons on the Dally's property. 

Sawyer sat behind his desk and dug through his Rolodex looking for the private phone number for A.D. Walter Skinner. 

Several years ago, Sawyer had met Skinner at an FBI sponsored conference on forensic science in Chicago. After the conference, he had stopped in the hotel's bar for a drink and found the FBI Assistant Director sitting alone in a corner booth, nursing a bourbon on the rocks. There was a weariness about the man as he sat brooding over his drink that had attracted Sawyer's interest. 

Sawyer remembered walking nervously up to the booth and asking, the stern-faced FBI man if he could join him. Skinner didn't say anything just nodded to the seat across from him. They had made small talk about sports, current events, and politics. Well Sawyer had done most of the talking. Then he switched the conversation to police work and from there to their most remembered cases. 

A grin had spread across Skinner's face at Sawyer's story about investigating a crop circle that turned out to be a prank. Okay so crime in northern Wisconsin was dull and the crop circle had been a big event. Reporters from Green Bay and Milwaukee had actually come up to cover the story. 

To his surprise, Skinner loosened up and started talking about this department under him that investigated the paranormal and the unexplained. Sawyer had been fascinated listening to Skinner's stories about Agents Mulder, Scully, and some of their cases. He could see the pride in Skinner's eyes as he talked about them. 

Sawyer remembered thinking about how lucky Mulder and Scully were to have the support and respect of their boss. He and Skinner stayed at the bar until it closed at two o'clock in the morning. Surprisingly neither one of them was drunk when they said their goodbyes and headed up to their hotel rooms. 

After seeing the crime scene, Sawyer knew he had to contact Skinner. 

He picked up his phone and dialed Skinner's number. The phone rang several times before it was finally answered. 

"Skinner," said the gruff-sleepy voice. 

"Walter, it's Gary Sawyer, I don't know if you remember me. We met at a conference on forensics in Chicago a few years ago." 

"Yes, Gary. You're a Wisconsin sheriff, right?" Skinner's voice was becoming less sleepy. 

Sawyer heard the springs in a mattress squeak as the large A.D. sat up in bed. 

"Right. I'm the sheriff of the town of Barrett in Bayfield County. I'm sorry to disturb you so early but I have a case that needs your X-File agents." 

"Let me grab a pen." 

He heard the sound of a drawer opening then Skinner was back on the line. 

"Go ahead, Gary." 

"A family was murdered in their home about an hour ago. The mother, father, and their two teenage daughters were literally torn apart. Their five-year-old son was the only survivor. He's in a state of shock...our town doctor is attending to him. Walter, whatever attacked that family wasn't human. The place smelled worse than anything I've ever smelled before. Reverend Fraser, the only witness, said it was demons and based on the evidence I can't disagree with him. I've sealed off the crime scene until your agents can get up here." 

"Okay, Gary, I'll have my agents on the first plane to Duluth. I'll arrange for a forensic team with ASAC Adams at the Duluth field office to accompany my X-File agents to your town." 

"Thank you, Walter." 

"No problem. I'll call you back with the time you should expect them." 

Sawyer hung up the phone and blew out a breath of relief. 

"Sheriff!" Deputy George Cunningham shouted as he ran in through the outside door. 

Sawyer stood. "What's wrong?" 

"Rebecca Carter, she's missing. Her front door was smashed in and there was that same horrid smell in her house." 

"Oh God. I'll round up some men to help search for her. George, I've called in some experts at the FBI. Go back to the crime scene and keep watch over it until they arrive." The Sheriff picked up the receiver and started calling some residents that he could depend on to help with the search. 

* * *

Doggett's residence  
Friday, November 30, 2001  
5:00 a.m. 

Doggett came awake with a start. He swore as he felt wetness in his boxers. He'd come in his sleep. Damn Mulder. Doggett rolled onto his back and stared up at the dark ceiling as his hand dropped down to cover his damp groin. He tried to recall the wet dream he'd just had. The only thing his sleepy brain could remember was that it involved Mulder and a Polish sausage. He didn't consider himself gay. He'd only had one brief homosexual encounter when he was in high school. But for some reason he just couldn't stop fantasizing about Mulder. Maybe it was because he'd discovered Mulder had lived with a male lover for over two years starting in 1989. Doggett wasn't sure even Scully knew that tidbit about Mulder. 

He crawled out of bed and headed into the bathroom for another shower. 

After his shower, as he dressed for work, the telephone rang. 

"Doggett," he answered as he brought the receiver to his ear. It was A.D. Skinner on the other end. 

"Agent, I have an X-File case in Wisconsin that I need you on immediately. Do you have a pen handy?" 

"Yes, sir." Doggett pulled out a pen and paper and wrote down Skinner's instructions. 

"I've booked you and Reyes on Northwest flight 042 it takes off at 8:30 am out of Dulles to the Duluth International Airport. You'll be working with a team of agents from the Duluth Field Office, they will meet your flight when it lands." 

"The Duluth Field Office." Doggett frowned, thinking about how cold it would be in Minnesota this time of year. 

Skinner went on to explain the case. "John, Sheriff Gary Sawyer of Barrett, Wisconsin has a multiple-homicide on his hands. He and the only witness, a Reverend Fraser, believe the family was killed by demons. The crime scene is still fresh, the family was killed only a few hours ago." 

Doggett didn't even flinch, he was getting used to these weird cases. "Okay, sir, I'll get right on it." 

"Do you want me to call Reyes?" Skinner asked. 

"No, sir, I'll call her." He placed the telephone receiver back on the cradle. 

While he dressed, Doggett used his cell phone to call Reyes. "Monica, grab your parka, our flight for the frozen north leaves in two hours." 

Doggett gathered his shaving gear together as he talked to Reyes. 

"John, what type of case? Where is it?" 

He chuckled. "Believe it or not, we're investigating demons in Wisconsin. A.D. Skinner said a family was attacked and killed in their home early this morning. Meet me at Dulles in an hour. We have tickets onboard Northwest flight 042. The plane leaves the gate at 8:30 a.m. And, Monica, dress warm." 

Opening his carryon bag, Doggett added a pair of long underwear, hiking boots, and his heated hunting socks. From the sound of this case they'd be spending some time outdoors and he wasn't about to freeze his ass off. He carried his bag into the kitchen and set it on the table. Then he dug out a strawberry pop tart for a quick breakfast. He put the rest of the box of pastries inside the carryon bag...who knew if they'd even have a restaurant in the small town of Barrett. 

He checked his gun before clipping it onto his belt. Then he dug out the heavy parka from the back of his hall closet. It seldom got cold enough in D.C. for him to wear it. He pulled it on over his suit coat, checking the pockets for the heavy gloves and knit cap. With the temperature in the sixties, Doggett was sure he'd get some strange looks wearing it to the airport. That wouldn't bother him; the looks wouldn't be much different from those he got from fellow agents now that he was investigating X-files. He swung his carryon over his shoulder and headed out the door. 

* * *

Duluth, Minnesota  
Friday, November 30, 2001  
10:00 a.m. 

Doggett's and Reyes' plane touched down at the Duluth International at ten-thirty in the morning central standard time. It was less than a two-hour drive from the Duluth airport down to Bayfield County in Northern Wisconsin. An agent from the Duluth office met them at the gate as they stepped off the plane. 

"Welcome to Duluth, Agent Doggett, Agent Reyes," Morris said as he reached out to shake their hands. "I'm Agent Sam Morris. We had to park our forensic van in the lot because of tightened airport security. So you'll get to experience a little Minnesota winter on our walk to the van." 

"Oh, great," Doggett muttered. 

Morris was a young agent in his mid twenties, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Doggett assumed the other agents were using him as their gopher, while they stayed warm in the heated van. 

"Did ASAC Adams assemble the team?" Doggett asked as he and Reyes followed the young agent through the airport. 

"Yeah, we have a medical examiner, two crime-scene technicians, and I'm the photographer. According to ASAC Adams, Sheriff Sawyer of Barrett sealed off the crime scene after he determined none of the Dally family members, except Timothy, was still alive. A neighbor, Ms. Rebecca Carter, has since been reported missing. Her front door was found smashed in." 

"Oh great, a missing person's case on top of the murders," Doggett said as they walked out of the airport and onto a snow blown sidewalk. There were patches of wet concrete where small pellets of a salt mixture had been sprinkled. 

As a southern boy, Doggett didn't much care for temperatures that could freeze spit on the sidewalk in less than a minute nor did he like the snow that was falling heavily around them. He blinked and wished he'd worn his sunglasses as his eyeballs felt like they were freezing in their sockets as an icy wind whipped around them. He put on his knit cap and pulled up the hood on the parka then slipped on the heavy gloves. He was still wearing his dress shoes. Doggett debated changing into his hiking boots and heated socks once they reached the van. He glanced over at Morris who was wearing a long wool coat over his suit and dress shoes, typical FBI attire. 

Agent Morris seemed oblivious to the freezing temperature. He wasn't even wearing a hat or gloves. 

"John, I have a strange feeling about this case," Reyes said as they walked toward the FBI van. 

"Strange how?" 

"I don't like the vibes I'm getting." 

"Monica, don't worry. We're going to get there and discover that this was nothing more than a case of a human psychopath breaking into that poor family's home. There are no such things as demons." 

"How, and why, did Skinner assign us this case?" Reyes asked as she pulled a stick of chewing gum out of her pocket. 

"I'm not sure. We'll find out once we get to Barrett." They reached the van and Morris opened the side door. 

A cheerful redheaded male with ruddy skin greeted them from the driver's seat. "Hey, guys, welcome to the great white north!" Then the man glanced behind him at an older black male with gray hair. "No offence, Doc." 

"Shove it, Galloway." The man chuckled. "Get your butts in the van and close the door. Not all of us Minnesotans like the snow and cold. Only these three crazy white boys." 

They climbed into the van. Monica took the backseat and Morris quickly sat next to her, leaving Doggett the seat next to Doc. Doggett placed his carryon on the floor next to him as Galloway started the van and eased it out of the parking space. 

"I'm Doctor Brent Jackson or Doc for short. I'm the chief medical examiner." 

"Nice to meet you, Doc," Doggett said as he shook the man's hand. 

Doc smiled. "The two jokers up front are our crime-scene technicians, Special Agents Bruce Galloway and Bill Beck. They don't look like much, but they're experts at what they do." 

"You wound me, Doc," Beck said, turning in the bucket seat, he held out his hand to Doggett. "So you're Spooky Mulder's replacement. It sucks him being fired, we went through the academy together." 

"Yeah, it sucked. I'm John Doggett and my partner is Monica Reyes." 

Beck leered as he looked at Reyes. "Nice pants, Reyes. You do know you're going to freeze your ass off?" 

Reyes smoothed her hand over the soft leather. "I'll be fine." 

Beck was in his forties, good looking with dark brown hair and gray eyes. Unlike the other agents in the van, he wore jeans, hiking boots, and a plaid-flannel shirt. He had on a waterproof canvas jacket. The jacket had a dozen pockets. 

Galloway had the windshield wipers on. The snow was coming down so heavily that the heater was having a problem keeping the ice off the windshield. It was already impossible to see out the side windows that had become heavily frosted over. Doggett watched the large flakes splash against the windshield. It was hard to see for more than two hundred feet. 

"The Bayfield county coroner is going to meet us at the crime scene. He's driving down from Washburn. He'll be removing the bodies after we're done and transferring them to a morgue in Duluth. I'll be performing the autopsies, later tonight," Jackson said. 

"Do you know anything about this area of Wisconsin?" Doggett asked. 

"It's lightly populated. The whole county only has around fifteen thousand residents and a large stretch of it borders Lake Superior. There's also the Chequamegon National Forest going through the middle of the county. The town of Barrett and the surrounding area has a total population of five hundred and twenty-three people." 

Doggett glanced out the window as the van passed a welcome to Wisconsin sign. 

* * *

Sheriff's office  
Barrett, Wisconsin  
Friday, November 30, 2001  
Noon 

Sheriff Gary Sawyer shook a couple of aspirin into his palm from the plastic bottle. He closed his eyes after swallowing the aspirin dry. He'd never get the images of the inside of the Dally's house out of his mind. After seeing the bodies, he believed the Reverend's claim that demons were involved. Nothing human could have done what had been done to that family. He didn't have the resources to deal with demons. 

He'd just spent the last five hours with a team of ten men searching the surrounding woods for Ms. Carter. Sawyer had come back to his office to wait for the FBI agents that were scheduled to arrive around noon. 

Sawyer looked up as the outside door opened and a bitterly cold wind mixed with snow whipped through the office. 

"Sheriff Sawyer?" A slender middle-aged man with piercing blue eyes asked. Next to him stood younger woman wearing a parka and tight leather pants. 

"Yes. Come in and shut the door, you're letting out the heat," he said. 

Doggett closed the door and walked over to the sheriff, holding out his hand. "I'm Special Agent John Doggett and this is my partner Special Agent Monica Reyes." 

Sawyer shook their hands. "Where's Agents Mulder and Scully?" 

Doggett and Reyes exchanged glances before Doggett answered the sheriff. "Fox Mulder is no longer with the FBI, and Agent Scully is on maternity leave. Sheriff, I wasn't aware you knew Mulder and Scully?" 

"I know of them and of the X-Files from Assistant Director Walter Skinner. When I got a look at the crime scene, I realized this was a X-File and something my small department was unequipped to deal with." The sheriff pulled on his heavy jacket as he talked. "I had the crime scene sealed and my deputy is guarding it." 

"We have our forensic team with us. So if you could show us to the crime scene we'll get started," Doggett said. 

"At once, Agent Doggett. I want to get this case solved as quickly as possible and find Rebecca." 

"Can you tell us about the victims?" Reyes asked as they headed out the door. 

The town's main street had the sheriff's station, a post office, small corner store, and a restaurant. Above the restaurant were two more stories where Reyes noticed a hotel sign. Across the street was the volunteer fire department and on the corner was a large Lutheran church. 

Sawyer stopped at his SUV parked in front of the station and opened the passenger door for Reyes. "Ben Dally was the area's mailman. His wife Lucille worked at the post office sorting mail. They had three kids: Susan was age eighteen, Margaret seventeen, and Timothy is five. The Dallys were a church going family and good citizens." 

"Did they have any enemies?" Doggett asked from the backseat as the sheriff pulled out of the parking space. The FBI van followed the Sheriff's vehicle. 

"No." 

The Sheriff made a left turn at the corner then drove one block and pulled in front of a house ringed by crime scene tape. All the houses on the block had large lots. The backyards bordered a forest. Doggett saw more crime scene tape stretched across the front door of the house across the street from the Dally's. 

People were milling around in the street, looking silently at the house. Through a shattered garage door a smashed mail truck laid on its side half in and half out of the garage. There were also several holes through the walls of the garage. Doggett noted the broken window on the second floor. 

Agent Morris had his camera out and was snapping pictures of the scene. 

In the middle the front lawn was a blue bath towel covering some lump. Part of it was covered with snow. As he stepped over the crime scene tape, Doggett noted the ground was frozen solid and had at least two inches of fresh snow covering the tracks of the person who placed the blue towel on the ground. Reyes, Doctor Jackson, and the sheriff followed him as he kneeled beside the towel and lifted it up, to expose the severed arm lying beneath it. 

"Morris can you get some pictures of this?" Doggett called. He looked up at the Sheriff. "Did you cover the arm with the towel?" 

"Yes. I couldn't allow it to lie uncovered in the middle of the lawn within everyone's sight. Reverend Fraser said it had been thrown out the upstairs window." 

Galloway and Beck unloaded their gear from the van. Beck carried a sketchbook and a tape measure. 

"Agent Reyes, can you hold this end." Beck handed her the start of the tape measure. "I want to mark the distance from the house." 

Doggett stood and looked toward the house. The front door frame was broken. Agent Galloway was already brushing for prints. He turned to the sheriff. "Where did you find the bodies?" 

"The downstairs back bedroom, and in the master bedroom upstairs. C'mon, I'll show you," Sawyer said. 

Agent Morris followed the two older men into the house. He raised the camera and took a couple of photos of the door. 

"What's that smell?" Doggett gagged as he covered his nose. He'd been to homicides before, some, where the victim had lain decomposing for days in the sweltering heat before being discovered. None compared to the foul smell coming from this house. 

The Sheriff shivered. "The pits of hell were opened inside this house, Agent Doggett." 

Doggett's eyes fell on a yellow stain on the white walls. It looked like it had been sprayed on--no peed on he thought under closer inspection. The smell was particularly bad the closer he got. "We're going to need a sample of this, Galloway," he said. 

"Let me get my breathing mask from the van first," the agent grumbled, "My girlfriend is not going let me into our apartment tonight." He knew that his clothes and hair was going to reek once he was done gathering evidence. 

"I know what you mean. I wasn't in the house very long and I still can smell that foul scent on me," Sheriff Sawyer said. 

Doggett had a small notebook out as they walked into the back bedroom. He gasped and backed out of the room. "Oh shit." 

"Yeah. That's why I called Walter Skinner." Sheriff Sawyer looked at Doggett's pale face. "How long have you been working on the X-Files?" 

"Almost a year." 

"Have you ever had a case like this?" 

"No." Doggett recomposed himself. "Sheriff, I'm not sure what did that to those girls, but I doubt that it was demons." 

"Nothing human did that." 

"We haven't determined that yet." Doggett noticed a clump of fur snagged on the wooden doorframe. He pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket along with a pair of latex gloves and snapped them on. 

"What do you have?" 

"Some type of animal fur," Doggett said as he pulled it off the wood and placed it into the bag. 

Agent Sam Morris stepped into the hallway and snapped a photograph of the damaged doorway. 

"What type of animal?" Sawyer asked. 

"I'm not sure. By the height the fur was snagged on the wooden frame, it had to be tall...maybe a large bear standing on its hind legs." Doggett wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell coming from the fur. 

Morris had gone into the bedroom as they talked. The young agent ran out, and shoved his camera at Doggett who grabbed it as Morris found a corner and threw up. 

Doggett looked at him with sympathy. This isn't an easy case for a rookie; even a season agent would lose his lunch over this one. 

Doctor Jackson and Reyes walked up to them. Reyes held a handkerchief pressed over her nose and was breathing through her mouth. 

"John, what's wrong with Sam?" 

Doggett looked at his partner. "The Dally girls were butchered. It's not a pretty sight." 

"Sorry," Morris said as he retrieved his camera from Doggett. "I thought I'd gotten used to violent deaths." 

"I'll never get used to kids and teenagers being killed." Doggett noticed the ring on Morris' finger and asked, "Do you have any kids, Sam?" 

Morris nodded. "I have a four-year-old son. My wife and I want to have another child." He swallowed and looked at the bedroom doorway. "I better get back to work." 

Doctor Jackson walked into the bedroom with the younger agent. 

"Let's get this over with, Monica," Doggett sighed as he stepped back into the bedroom. He kept his eyes diverted from the bodies and severed limbs. He studied the walls and floor. "Sam, take a picture of this." He pointed to a bloody print on the floor. 

"Is that what I think it is?" Reyes asked from the doorway. 

Doggett nodded. "Yeah, a big goddam footprint." 

"Do you think it's a bear print?" Reyes asked. 

Sheriff Sawyer shook his head. "No bear made that print." 

"These bodies have been partially eaten," Doctor Jackson said. "It's also physically impossible for a human to have torn them apart in this manner, it would have required immense strength." 

"Fuck...I thought I'd seen everything," Beck said as he poked his head around Reyes to get a look inside the room. 

Doggett turned back to Sheriff Sawyer. "Let's go upstairs. After I see the rest of the crime scene, I want to come back down here to examine the bedroom more thoroughly." 

"It's worse upstairs, at least in the parent's bedroom. Timothy's room has blood in it but the boy wasn't touched." 

"Do you think I can talk to him later?" Doggett asked. 

"Let's ask Doctor Myers first." 

* * *

FBI Hoover Building  
Washington, D.C.  
Friday, November 30, 2001  
5:00 p.m. 

Walter Skinner pressed the button on his speakerphone. He hadn't heard from Doggett and Reyes yet today. The network news stations reported the homicides, but because of a heavy snowfall they had been unable to send any reporters up to the site. 

He dialed Doggett's cellphone number then leaned back in his chair waiting for it to be answered. 

"Doggett." 

Skinner leaned forward and spoke into the speaker. "John, how's the case coming along?" 

"We're still gathering evidence. The coroner arrived two hours ago and he bagged the bodies and left for Duluth. Walt, I've never seen anything like this before. It's as if a pack of wild animals tore into this family. There are chunks of flesh missing from the bodies. The teeth marks appear to be human, except for the size of the mouth. There are strange prints on the floor and walls. These animals also defecated around the house as if marking their territory." 

"There was more than one?" 

"Yeah, from the evidence at least three. According to one witness, the arm had been thrown out the window at the same time as noises were coming from inside the garage." 

"What do you think did this?" 

"I'm not sure what to think. I keep asking myself how Mulder would be approaching this one." 

Skinner chuckled. "Mulder would have had a dozen theories before the plane landed then he would have zeroed them down to one after seeing the crime scene. Usually his theory would prove to be right on the money no matter how outlandish and unbelievable it was." Sighing, Skinner leaned back in his chair. "John, go with your gut on this one." 

"I don't like what my gut is telling me." 

"And what is that?" 

"Something that wasn't human killed this family and abducted their neighbor. Whatever these animals are, they now have a taste for human flesh." 

"Could it have been a werewolf?" Skinner asked, surprising himself at how easy it had been to ask that question. Mulder had rubbed off on him over the years. 

"Walt, there wasn't a full moon last night," Doggett quipped. His boss's easy acceptance that the perps weren't human made it easier for Doggett to voice what he suspected. "Besides I'm leaning more towards Sasquatch." 

"Bigfoot?" 

"Yeah. I'm also looking into The Curtis Construction Company. It seems that there's been some controversy over a large area of land that's being developed into high-end cabins and lake homes. The Construction Company is trying to get permission to develop the other side of a lake. The town of Barrett was going to vote tonight on whether they wanted to change the zoning and allow development of the land. Ben Dally was a vocal opponent against the development." 

"You think that this construction company could be responsible for killing the Dally family?" 

"Walt, there is no way a human killed that family." 

"Then why are you looking into The Curtis Construction Company?" 

"The creatures that killed that family had to come from somewhere. I'm interested in the forestland this company is clearing to build those cabins. I think they might have inadvertently disturbed this creature's habitat." 

"How much longer are you going to be there?" 

"Sheriff Sawyer has gotten us rooms in town. We had wanted to drive back to Duluth, but the weather has gotten worse throughout the day. It's already snowed nine inches since we arrived. The national weather agency has issued a blizzard warning for this evening and tomorrow. Unfortunately we had to call off the search for Rebecca Carter. I'm going to check the Dally's garage and mail truck then head to the hotel." 

"John, be careful." 

"Don't worry, sir, I intend to be extremely careful on this case." 

* * *

Barrett, Wisconsin  
Friday, November 30, 2001  
7:00 p.m. 

Doggett dropped his carryon bag on the double bed as he walked into the small hotel room. The room was old and worn with a faded floral bedspread and an old television set chained to a rickety metal cart. He doubted that too many tourists came up to Barrett on vacation, and assumed the small twelve-room hotel's main clients were probably hunters and fishermen. 

Reverend Fraser and his wife were staying at the hotel. They were too upset to stay in their house after the murders and abduction, as were the other two families on the Dally's block, the O'Connells and Terrys. 

Doggett had met Timothy Dally over at Doctor Myers home. The small boy was in a near comatose state. Doctor Myers felt it would be better not to question him about what happened to his parent for the unforeseeable future. 

In an hour, Doggett was meeting Reyes and the Duluth agents downstairs in the diner for dinner. He wasn't sure he could stomach eating anything. Right now all he wanted to do was take a hot shower and wash the smell out of his hair and off his body. Unfortunately he was stuck with the smelly parka until they got back to Duluth where he could have it dry-cleaned. 

Doggett stripped off his suit and removed his toiletry bag from the carryon then walked into the small light blue-tiled bathroom. It only had a shower, sink, and toilet. He set the bag on the sink then turned on the shower faucets before taking out the shampoo and body wash bottles from the bag. The old pipes rattled as the water made its journey upstairs. It occurred to him as he shed his boxers that the others would be taking showers, too. He hoped this place had a big water heater as he quickly stepped into the shower stall. He washed his hair first not wanting to be stuck in the shower with a head full of soap if the water went suddenly cold. 

For some reason whenever he undressed lately his mind turned to Mulder, he tried to fight against his wanton thoughts. This time he welcomed his fantasies of the other man, even encourage them, anything to expel the images of the Dally family from his mind. 

He ran the soapy washcloth between his thighs then over his balls and penis before slipping it between his buttocks. Doggett scrapped a fingernail over his anus while wondering what it would feel like to be touched there by Mulder. He pulled his hand away and shook his head in disgust. God he was becoming one sick puppy. 

Doggett gasped as the water turned cold and he quickly washed the soap off his skin. 

He shivered as he stepped out of the shower onto the bathmat. Goosebumps broke out over his entire body. Doggett walked into the bedroom as he dried himself with a too thin towel. He looked toward the window as the wind shook the pane of glass and pelted it with sleet. He crossed the small room to the window and glanced outside. The wind had picked up in the last few minutes. The snow was whipping around so fiercely he could barely see the lights in the window of the small building across the street. 

Doggett removed a clean pair of boxers, jeans, and a sweater from his bag. He dressed quickly, even putting on his heated socks. The room was freezing. Frost even coated the inside of the windowpane. He walked over and toyed with the base-heater, turning it up as high as it would go. Next he pocketed his wallet, clipped his gun back on, and headed out the door. 

* * *

New Mexico  
Friday, November 30, 2001  
7:00 p.m. 

Mulder was led through a tunnel into an underground system of caves. He had received an email on his secret PDA account with instructions and directions to this meeting in New Mexico. It was on federal land while his host was a Native American. He followed the broad shouldered brave down another tunnel. Standing Bear had introduced himself as a Dakota Sioux medicine man. Being in Navaho country, Mulder found that a bit unusual. Stand Bear's long gray hair was braided and decorated with eagle feathers. 

"Why am I here?" Mulder asked. 

"The holy people have chosen you." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Your coming had been foretold on the wind generations ago." They stepped out into a large cavern. It was filled with people. Standing Bear ignored them as he led Mulder over to a cave wall. The wall was covered with old cave paintings. "You must prepare yourself for the coming battle." 

The first set of pictures showed black oil going from one brave into another. The next set of images showed a series of battles with fanged and clawed creatures, like the ones he saw on the spaceship in Antarctica. The final painting was of two men back-to-back in battle against a group of black-eyed warriors and large-headed aliens. One of the two men was wearing a fox's head on top of his head like a hat and his long brown hair was braided with feathers and beads. The painting was crude but there was no mistaking the profile, Mulder recognized himself. The other man had a fierce determined look and piercing eyes. "Agent Doggett," Mulder muttered. They were each had a shield strapped on their arms, holding them out toward beings that appeared to be disintegrating. 

"What are they holding?" 

"Shields that are made of the black rock from this cave." 

"The other man in the painting, does he have a name?" 

"Shadow Wolf." 

"Shadow Wolf?" Mulder nodded, thinking that was a fitting name for Agent Doggett. The man was rather wolfish. 

"You've both walked on the other side and come back. Spirit Fox, your feet and Shadow Wolf's feet straddle both worlds. The spirits talk to you." Standing Bear turned to the cave and waved his arm at the men, women, and children standing watching them. "What do you see?" 

"Warriors, women, children. Men dressed in buckskins, bones, feathers, and paint. Women dressed in beads and leather." Mulder smiled at the children, they smiled back. 

"You're seeing spirits," the medicine man said. 

Mulder shook his head. "No! I'm seeing flesh and blood people, how nave do you think I am?" He glared at Standing Bear, wondering what his game was. 

"You're the only one alive down here. In these caves the Anasazi race died in the final battle with those who came from the stars." 

Mulder turned back to the cave only to find it empty except for one small child. She walked over to him and handed him a small shiny stone. Then she vanished into thin air. 

Standing Bear looked at the stone. "You're very powerful. You don't just see us." 

"Why have you brought me here? What do you mean by us?" 

"To open your eyes to the truth. You and Shadow Wolf must join forces, only then will you be able to defeat them." Standing Bear grasped Mulder's wrist and placed a necklace in his hand, made from a single strip of leather with a black stone arrowhead on the end. Then the medicine man turned and vanished as he walked through a stone wall. 

Mulder's eyes widened and his fingers grasped the object in his hand tighter. What was happening to him? 

Mulder walked back over to the picture on the wall. John Doggett didn't particularly like him. He chuckled. Couldn't stand him was more like it. How could he convince the man to help him? It's not as if he'd believe that their souls were joined by fate. Mulder sighed, he liked Doggett, and if he had to choose someone to help him, he couldn't have done better. Mulder reached up and rested his fingers on the painting of Doggett. He remembered working with Doggett on the oilrig case, remembered drowning in those intense blue eyes. He felt an attraction to Doggett that he hadn't felt for another man since Adam. 

God, he didn't want to think about Adam, not now, not ever. He spent years trying to forget the man and how much he had loved him. After Adam left him, Mulder found that he could no longer sleep in the bed they'd shared, so he ended up giving it to goodwill. Mulder sighed. At least with Doggett it would never get beyond fantasy, unlike it had with Krycek. Mulder's luck with men was just as bad as his luck with women. He was either betrayed by them or dumped, and left wondering what the hell he had done wrong. Some people were always meant to walk through life alone, and it seemed he was one of those people. No matter how much he desired companionship and a family, it would always be outside of his reach. 

* * *

Barrett, Wisconsin  
Saturday, December 1, 2001  
4:00 a.m. 

Doggett was awakened by a gust of wind wailing down the street and an unnatural stillness inside the room. He reached for the table lamp and turned the switch. Nothing. He reluctantly climbed out of the warm bed and shivered when the cold air touched his bare skin as he cautiously crossed the dark room and tried the wall switch by the door. Nothing. The power must have gone out. 

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he walked over to the window and looked outside. It was pitch black all of the streetlights were out. 

He decided to go back to bed and hoped the lights would be back on by morning. His flesh had goosebumps breaking out all over it, so he opened his bag and located his long underwear by feel then struggled to get them on in the dark. Finally he crawled back into bed and lay on his back staring up at the ceiling. He must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew someone was pounding on his door. 

"Agent Doggett!" Sheriff Sawyer called. 

Doggett scrambled out of bed and hurried over to the door. It was still dark outside. He tried the light switch again--the power was still out. He opened the door. The Sheriff was holding a flashlight and looked upset. 

"What's wrong?" Doggett asked. He noticed another door open down the hall. He stepped aside, allowing Sawyer into the room then walked over to his jeans that were draped across a chair in the corner. Sawyer's flashlight provided enough light for him to dress by. 

"I received a hysterical phone call from Marvin Crowe. It sounded like all hell was breaking loose out at his place. I heard him scream--" The Sheriff was visibly shaking. "My God, Agent Doggett, I heard him being killed. I tried to get out to his place as quickly as possible, but because of the blizzard, it took me an extra ten minutes. I found what was left of his body." 

"Where does he live?" 

"On the opposite side of town from the Dallys. I have my deputy checking the neighborhood." 

Doggett sat on the bed and pulled on his socks and boots. "We're going to need additional help to hunt down the creatures that killed the Dallys and Crowe." 

Doctor Jackson stepped into the room. He was buttoning up his flannel shirt. "Do you want to fill me in?" 

"There's been another murder. Doc, do you want to wake up the others? Let's meet down in the restaurant." 

* * *

New Mexico  
Saturday, December 1, 2001  
7:00 a.m. 

Mulder woke in a cold sweat from a nightmare. It wasn't his standard nightmare about Samantha or the recent one brought on by his own abduction and torture. This one was about Agent Doggett. He saw the agent being attacked then eaten while he was still alive. It was a gruesome death and too vivid to be a mere dream. 

He picked up the motel's telephone and placed a long distance call to X-Files basement office. It would be 9:00 a.m. out east. When he didn't receive an answer, he tried Doggett's cellphone number but got an out of service message. This increased his anxiety. Next he called Skinner's office. 

"A.D. Skinner." 

"Sir, it's Mulder...I'm trying to get a hold of John Doggett. I tried his cellphone but got an out of service message." 

"Mulder, you shouldn't be calling here, it isn't safe." 

"Sir, this is important. I need to get in touch with him." 

"He and Agent Reyes are on a case in Northern Wisconsin. There's a blizzard going through that area which has knocked out power and telephone lines. The battery on his cell must have died and he has no way to recharge it." 

"What type of case is he investigating?" 

"Mulder, what's this about?" 

"I think Agent Doggett is in danger." 

"What sort of danger?" 

Mulder frowned. He didn't want to tell Skinner he was worried because of a dream he had. "You're going to think I'm crazy." 

"Mulder, I thought you were crazy about your belief in aliens then you were abducted before my eyes. I won't think you're crazy, tell me why you think John's in danger," Skinner said softly. 

Mulder's hand played with the telephone cord. "I had a dream. In it I saw Doggett being attacked by a large creature. The...the creature started eating him...he was screaming as the flesh was torn from his body." He heard Skinner's quick intake of breath. There were a few moments of silence before Skinner started talking. 

"He's in Barrett Wisconsin investigating a multiple homicide. The family was torn apart and from his initial investigation they had been partially eaten. Mulder, from the evidence he found, John thinks it might have been done by several Sasquatch." 

"I need to get up to Wisconsin," Mulder said. 

"Be careful, Mulder, your phone call to me might have alerted our enemies to your location." 

"Don't worry, sir." Mulder's fingers touched the black arrowhead he was wearing around his neck. "I have friends that are helping me." 

"I'm going to contact the Duluth field office and see if I can get the cellphone numbers for their agents out in Barrett. I'll send you a message to your PDA if I find out anything," Skinner said. 

"Thank you, sir," Mulder replied before disconnecting. He would need winter clothing before he headed off to Wisconsin. There was an Army surplus store in Santa Fe that should have the items he needed along with additional firepower. He'd been getting help from some friends in MUFON and NICAP. One of the NICAP members, Jack Fenig, was a pilot with a helicopter. Jack was Max Fenig's younger brother. Mulder'd used the man before to fly him out to the oilrig in the Gulf of Mexico. He knew Jack would help him get to Barrett. Jack and a few others were now his neighbors near his new home in southwestern Texas. With luck he'd be there before nightfall. 

* * *

Barrett, Wisconsin  
Saturday, December 1, 2001  
1:00 p.m. 

Doggett glanced around the church at the men, women, and children. Some of the women and children were crying. Reverend Fraser was trying to calm them. They had gathered the town's three hundred and fifty residents into the Lutheran church after they had discovered three other homes had been attacked overnight and seven more residents killed or missing; their young children had been left unharmed. 

Snowdrifts blocked the roads, so they were unable to get out to the farms and homes outside the town's main boundaries. They hoped those residents would be safe until they were able to get to them. It may not be until late tomorrow after the blizzard ended that snowplows would be able to clear the main roads. Doggett turned his attention back to the window and looked outside. He held a rifle as he scanned the street. 

Reyes smiled at an elderly woman who was passing out sandwiches. Several of the town women, including the Reverend's wife were in the small kitchen out back cooking. She glanced over at Doctor Myers who was taking care of the children that were left parentless in the last attack. Timothy Dally stayed close to his side. 

Reyes walked across the church to where Doggett stood looking out at the blowing snow. 

"I hate snow," Doggett muttered, meeting her eyes in the frosty glass. 

"It's pretty. I just wish we had a fireplace and some hot butter rums," Reyes said. 

"Sheriff Sawyer's gone back to use the radio in his office. He's going to see if he can get some National Guard troops out here to help protect the town." 

"John, if anything happens to me. I want my ashes scattered over the Gulf of Mexico," Reyes said suddenly. 

"Nothing is going to happen, Monica." 

Reyes met his eyes. "Just promise me you'll do this for me. I have it in my will, but I thought I should tell you." 

"Okay, but nothing is going to happen." 

Doggett wandered over to where Doctor Myers sat with Timothy Dally. He knelt next to the boy. "How are you doing, Tim?" 

"My mommy and daddy are angels. I want to be an angel, too." 

Doggett was taken aback; he knew he had to help the boy find a reason to stay alive. "Tim, your parents are watching out for you now. They would want you to grow up and make them proud. You can do that for them can't you?" 

"I don't want to grow up, I want to go to heaven with them." 

Doggett felt his heart breaking as he looked into those large brown eyes. "I know the pain you're feeling. I lost my son and wanted to be with him. Tim, sometimes we don't always get what we want. Sometimes what we want is not what is best for us. You need to be strong, your parents would want you to be happy and grow up to be a good man." 

"I'm scared. Who's going to take care of me?" 

Doggett looked at Doctor Myers. 

"He doesn't have any relatives," Myers said. 

Doggett reached forward and hugged the little boy. "Don't worry. There are hundreds of couples that would want a little boy like you." He remembered Agent Morris had spoken of wanting another child. Maybe he'd be interested in adopting Timmy. 

The church doors crashed opened letting in a gush of wind and snow as Agent Morris hurried inside along with Deputy Cunningham and three men from town. They were hauling in sleeping bags, blankets, and additional food. They would all be spending the evening here. Morris handed the pile of blankets he was carrying to a woman that had rushed over to help. Then he headed back outside for another load. Agents Galloway and Beck were standing guard over the back of the church along with a dozen men from town. They took turns, along with Doggett, Reyes, and Morris, walking around the outside perimeter of the church. They all had hunting rifles. Doctor Jackson was attending to a couple of elderly residents that were complaining of chest pains. 

Doggett stood and walked back over to Reyes. 

"Would you like a sandwich, Agent Doggett?" Mrs. Farley asked. 

"Yes. Thank you, Ma'am." Doggett picked up the ham and cheese sandwich off the tray she held out to him. He didn't feel like eating, but knew he had to keep his strength up. 

"Agent Reyes?" the elderly woman held the tray for Reyes to select one of the remaining sandwiches. 

"Thank you." 

"There's a fresh urn of coffee on the table up front," she said then moved on to pass out sandwiches to rest of the people. 

Galloway grabbed a sandwich off the tray as he walked over to them. "Guys, it's your turn to patrol outside. Remember to keep your skin covered, you can get frostbite in under three minutes at this temperature." 

"I know I'm going to regret this, but what is the temperature now?" Reyes asked as she finished her sandwich. 

"Don't worry, Monica, it's warmed up considerably since the last time you went outside. It's now a balmy minus twenty-five degrees below zero and the wind chill is a blistering minus forty-two below." Galloway smiled. 

"You're getting too much pleasure out of our misery, Bruce," Doggett said as they pulled on the ski masks and goggles that Sheriff Sawyer had loaned them. 

"John, after this case is over, Beck and I will take you and Monica ice fishing." 

"After this case is over, Monica and I will be heading back to sunny D.C." 

"You don't know what you're missing," Galloway said. 

"Yeah, I think I do." The ski mask hid Doggett's grin as they headed outside. 

They walked side by side down the street on the left side of the church. They trudged through a few feet of snow that drifted over the road. Behind the church was a parking lot. Next door to the church was the small volunteer fire department. Other than the wind, it was quiet. No power or cars. The town's snowplow driver was waiting for the snow and wind to die down before going out. 

Doggett kept one eye on Reyes as they walked the perimeter of the church. His gloved hands wrapped around the barrel and handle of the rifle. He'd never experienced such extreme cold. Even with the insulated gloves his fingers were becoming stiff. How did people deal with a climate that could kill them if they were outside in it for too long? 

"What I wouldn't give for a mug of hug chocolate milk with a shot of brandy," Reyes said. 

"I'll check with Mrs. Farley. I'm sure she can whip up some hot chocolate and I bet she knows where to get her hands on some brandy." 

They spent forty-five minutes patrolling around the church before heading back inside. Ten teams of men had volunteered to patrol the perimeter of the church throughout the day and night. Once the sun went down they would send out two teams to patrol outside. It would be nightfall by the time Doggett and Reyes had to go back outside. 

* * *

Twin Cities, Minnesota  
Saturday, December 1, 2001  
7:20 p.m. 

Mulder waited impatiently while Jack filled the fuel tank of the helicopter at the small Crystal city airport. He'd fallen behind schedule. It took longer for Jack to pick him up in Santa Fe than he had planned. Mulder had wanted to be in Barrett before dusk. It was his belief that the only reason the Sasquatch had avoided detection for so long, besides their small number, was that they were nocturnal and because of their heavy coat of fur they hibernated someplace cool during the hot summer months. 

"Don't worry, Mulder, I'll get us there." 

"I am worried, Jack. We're going to need John Doggett if we want to defeat the aliens." He slipped his gloved hands in the pockets of his fleece coat. 

"How's that? I know we need you, but from what I've heard about Agent Doggett he's not very bright in his knowledge about aliens." Jack looked a lot like his older brother Max. 

"Trust me on this one." 

"Okay, Mulder. Do you want to fly down to our base in Texas with him after we rescue him?" 

"No. Kidnapping an FBI agent is still a federal offense." 

Jack smirked as they climbed back into the helicopter. "Most of the stuff we're involved in is a federal offense." 

* * *

Barrett, Wisconsin  
Saturday, December 1, 2001  
7:30 p.m. 

The snow crunching under Doggett's and Reyes' boots was the only sound. The wind had died down and the snow had dropped off to flurries a few minutes ago. Doggett was hopeful that a rescue team would soon be on the way. 

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He glanced around nervously, gripping his rifle. 

Reyes screamed as an immense creature rushed out of the woods and grabbed her, throwing her over its broad shoulder. It happened too fast, Doggett had just enough time to shoot another creature that was charging toward him. It took five bullets to bring the animal down, by then the creature that had Reyes had disappeared back into the snow-filled woods. 

He heard more gunfire from the other side of the church then screaming and gunfire inside. Doggett was torn between dashing into the woods after the creature that had Reyes or helping the people inside the church. Duty and honor won out as he hurried to the church shooting another bigfoot that was trying to break down the back door. His rifle jammed and the enraged, wounded creature started toward him. There were three loud pops and the creature collapsed. Doctor Jackson stood behind it with his service pistol smoking in the cold air. 

The other men were able to kill or run off the remaining bigfoots. Doggett rushed back inside the church and collected another rifle and a flashlight. 

"John, where's Monica?" Agent Beck asked. 

"One of those creatures took her." Doggett put an extra couple of clips in his pocket then headed toward the doorway. "I'm going to get her back." 

"Wait, John, I'll come with you." 

Doggett looked at the faces of the frightened children lit by candlelight. "No stay here and protect them until the National Guard arrives." 

"At least show me what direction you're going in?" Beck said as he followed Doggett out of the church, passed the body of the bigfoot that Doggett had killed to the spot where another bigfoot had gone into the woods with Reyes. If the wind didn't pick up Doggett should be able to easily track it back to its lair. 

"Be careful, John." 

"I will be," he said. 

Doggett had the flashlight on as he started through the woods following the large tracks. His feet became numb and his jeans were soaked up to his thighs as he trudged through the deep snow. An hour into following the trail it started snowing again and Doggett quickened his pace. He came to a clearing next to a frozen lake. The tracks went into the woods on the far side of the lake. He spent twenty-minutes following the tracks through the dense woods. If it weren't for them, he would have missed the opening between several large boulders. Doggett shone his flashlight down the tunnel. It looked like it had been carved out of rock. He started down and gagged at the overpowering scent of a bigfoot. 

There was a low growl to his left and before he could respond two large hands grabbed his rifle. He held onto it with all of his strength, as he was smashed against the stone wall on one side of the tunnel then against the other. He heard the sickening sound of his arm snapping and stars exploded in front of his eyes as the back of his head smacked against the jagged hard surface. Before he lost consciousness, his whole life flashed before his eyes, along with lost opportunities at finding happiness. 

* * *

Barrett, Wisconsin  
Saturday, December 1, 2001  
8:40 p.m. 

By the time Jack Fenig's helicopter touched down in Barrett, the wind had picked up again and it started snowing heavily at a rate of over an inch an hour. The new storm front had kept the rescue team grounded. 

Mulder climbed out of the helicopter and looked toward the only light in town coming from the church. As he was putting on his backpack he saw a small group of men running from the church toward him and the helicopter. 

"Hey, where's the rest of the rescue team?" Agent Beck asked loudly as he reached Mulder. 

"We're not part of any rescue team!" Mulder shouted above the roar of the helicopter. "I need to find Agent Doggett. Do you know where he is?" 

"Who are you?" Beck asked. 

Mulder had his hood up and a heavy scarf covering his nose and mouth, protecting him from the cold and shielding his identity. "Fox Mulder. I need to find Agent Doggett, it's a matter of life or death!" 

Beck was speechless for a moment at being in the presence of the FBI's legendary bad boy. "Damn, only Spooky Mulder would show up in the middle of a fucking blizzard at a town being attacked by a horde of bigfoots." 

Mulder smirked behind his scarf. "I always know where the best parties are taking place." He turned serious as he recognized the man he'd gone through the academy with fifteen years ago. "Beck, I need to find John Doggett." 

"Mulder, he went after a fucking bigfoot that had snatched Reyes." 

Mulder's stomach sank. He liked Reyes, but his dream hadn't shown that she was in danger, only Doggett. "How long ago?" 

"A little over an hour." 

"Show me which way they went!" Mulder reached into the helicopter and pulled out a high-power, automatic, assault rifle. 

Beck spoke loudly over the drone of the helicopter. "Mulder, the wind has started to cover the tracks, you'll never find him." 

"I'll find him! Bill, just show me what direction he headed!" 

Beck saw the look of determination in Mulder's eyes. "Okay. C'mon, I'll show you." 

The helicopter's rotors had stilled and Jack climbed out. 

Mulder turned and spoke to him before following Beck. "Jack, I'll call you when I find them." 

"I'll be standing by to pick you up. Remember to light a flare so I can locate you." 

"I will. Thanks, Jack." 

Jack nodded and headed toward the church with the other men as Beck led Mulder to the spot where Doggett had started following the bigfoot. The tracks were barely visible. 

Mulder glanced at the enormous bodies of the dead bigfoots that lay several feet away. They were easily eight feet tall. His curiosity usually outweighed any fear he felt during a case, but not this time. He shuddered as he pulled his eyes off the large bodies. 

"Mulder, be careful," Beck said as he stood with his back to the bitterly cold wind. 

"You're going to get frostbite, Beck, get back inside." 

Beck put his gloved hand on Mulder's arm. "Don't worry about me just make sure you cover your own butt. Find them." 

Mulder nodded as he put on the infrared night goggles he had picked up at the Army Surplus store, along with several other items that he had in the backpack and in his pockets. Taking a deep breath he headed off into the woods. The trail was hard to follow and he became worried when he nearly lost it not a hundred yards from where it started. Fear twisted in his gut at the possibility that he was already too late and Doggett and Reyes were dead. Without Doggett to help him, Earth's main hope for stopping the invasion was gone. 

* * *

Doggett regained consciousness and found himself in an uncomfortable position and in severe pain. He was hanging upside down. His fingertips were a few inches from the stone and dirt floor. Both of his arms hurt and his body felt bruised from the tip of his nose to his toes. The pain coursing through his head was intense. It felt like his skull had been split open. He tried to move his legs but they were bound tightly together. How in the hell was he going to get out of this situation? Doggett glanced around as his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light. 

There was phosphorous on the walls, giving off barely enough light to see by. Doggett could make out other shapes hanging around him. Once his eyes fully adjusted to the darkness, he could make out more of the room he was in. The object hanging directly in front of him was a deer carcass. He glanced to his left and found another dead deer, hanging next to him and the sickening realization that he was in some sort of a larder. The deer in front of him had its neck slit open and was being drained of its blood. Doggett twisted so he could see on the other side of him. What he saw made him gag and his whole world faded back to black. 

* * *

Mulder wanted to scream. He was hopelessly lost, spending the last half-hour walking in circles. The night vision goggles were useless without a clear trail to follow. 

"Agent Mulder! Over here!" 

Mulder turned toward the sound of his name. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Monica Reyes running toward him. 

"Mulder, we have to hurry, its going to kill John." She grabbed his hand and started leading him through the woods. 

"Where? How did you escape?" Mulder asked. He had the rifle slung over his shoulder while his hand was in Reyes' firm grip. 

"Inside a cave," was all Reyes said as she quickened her pace, pulling Mulder along through the deep snow. She appeared to have no trouble trudging through knee to thigh high snowdrifts. 

Mulder on the other hand had trouble keeping up. The muscles in his legs were killing him and it was becoming hard to breathe. Jogging on level ground was far different than plodding through deep snow. 

They reached the cave entrance thirty minutes later. 

"How many are there?" Mulder turned his head to look at Monica and discovered he was alone. He could still feel the lingering touch of her hand in his as the realization of what her presence meant struck him. 

"I guess I really am Spooky," he sighed. 

He removed the gloves so he would have a better grip on the automatic assault rifle. It was a Special Forces issue and had a red laser beam site for quick targeting. Mulder next removed the backpack, taking two flares out and placing them in his pocket before hiding the backpack behind a boulder. 

He glanced anxiously down the long tunnel, his night vision goggles only penetrated the first hundred feet. Mulder took a deep breath then started his decent into the bowels of the Earth. After going about a quarter mile he stepped into a cavern and smelled one. Mulder arched the rifle around the cavern as he took in every crook and crevice; he squeezed the trigger as his eyes and the laser fell on a bigfoot that was stalking toward him. A large hole appeared in the creature's chest as the bullet exploded on contact. Several more bigfoots appeared out of a side tunnel and charged him. Mulder squeezed the trigger and sprayed the creatures with a hail of bullets. Their death shrieks was drowned out by the noise from the automatic rifle firing. The sound echoed off the chamber's walls. 

Smoke and the acid smell of carbon and death filled the cavern. Mulder breathed through his mouth as his eyes watered from the foul stench. He stood completely still and listened for any sound while he scanned the cavern for movement. When he determined that it was safe to go on, he looked at the three tunnels that branched off the cavern in different directions. He felt a pull toward the tunnel on the far right. Mulder dug another clip out of his pocket and replaced the near empty one on the rifle. 

As he crept toward the far tunnel, Mulder sensed more creatures in the tunnels around him. He stomped down the fear that was welling up in his belly and pulled an image of Doggett's face from his memory to help him go on. 

* * *

Doggett regained consciousness. He felt light-headed and cold. Most of his clothes were missing...only his jeans remained. He tried to move his arms and winced from the pain, he knew one was broken and suspected the other one was, too. His legs were too tightly bound for him to even move them, but he still tried. If his arms weren't broken, he might have been able to pull himself up. 

This was one hell of a way to end up...dying as food for a larger predator. He wondered if there would be anything left of his body, if or when the rescue team arrived. Doggett swallowed back a sob as he thought of Monica. Her dead body was hanging next to his. 

"Don't give up, John, Fox is coming." 

"Monica?" Doggett found himself looking up at his partner's lovely face. "You're dead." 

"Yes." She smiled softly. "Being dead isn't so bad, but it isn't your time yet. You're still needed here." 

"What do you mean?" Doggett was sure the pain and his impending death were making him delusional. 

Mulder suddenly appeared before him. Monica was gone. 

"Agent Doggett, I'm going to get you out of here. Hold on while I find something to stand so I can reach the vines bounding your ankles." 

Doggett heard the sound of a gun being fired and a thud as something hit the ground, then the sound of dragging as a deer carcass appeared on the ground beside him. The sounds where repeated as another deer carcass was stacked on top of the one already lying there. He craned his neck and watched Mulder climb up on the carcasses then wrap a strong arm around his legs. Doggett heard the sound of vines being cut and only Mulder's grip on his legs prevented him from crashing headfirst onto the ground. 

Mulder grunted from the strength required for him to lower Doggett to the ground. Then he kneeled at Doggett's side and checked his injuries. He flinched seeing the dark purple bruises over the Agent's torso. 

Doggett noticed that Mulder kept part of his attention on the entrance to the cave while he checked him over. He winced as Mulder smoothed a hand over his ribs checking for fractures. 

"Mulder, I think my arms are broken," Doggett said. 

Mulder ran his hands over Doggett's forearms, feeling the broken bones underneath, he sighed, "Yep, they're both broken. You also have a nasty lump on the back of your head, your ribs are bruised but they don't appear to be broken. I am worried about any internal injuries you may have. Do you think you can walk?" 

"Yes. Help me up." 

Mulder put an arm around Doggett's bare back and helped him to his feet. 

"You're freezing. Here put this on," Mulder said as he shrugged off his coat and draped it over Doggett's shoulders, being careful of his arms as he zipped it up. 

When Mulder kneeled to remove his boots, Doggett stopped him. 

"No, Mulder. You're going to need those to get us out of here." 

"Okay, let's get going." 

Doggett steeled himself and looked over at Monica's body. "Fox, please cut her down. I can't leave her body hanging like that." He knew they shouldn't be wasting time, but he couldn't help his feelings of wanting his partner to have a little dignity. 

Mulder didn't say anything as he dragged the deer carcasses over to where Monica's body hung. Within a couple of minutes he had her body cut down and lowered to the ground. Mulder tried to arrange her limps in a more dignified manner but rigor mortis had already set in. 

"I'm sorry, John," Mulder said as he picked up the assault rifle. "I wish I had something to cover her body with." 

"At least she's no longer hanging like a piece of meat. Let's get out of here. We'll send a team of agents back for her body and the others," Doggett said, glancing solemnly at the bodies of three more humans hanging amongst the dead deer. 

Doggett wasn't able to see in the pitch-black underground tunnels. Mulder kept an arm protectively around his back as they slowly made their way to the surface. He bit his lip as he stepped on sharp stones and pebbles. He didn't want to slow them down but he was limping when Mulder stopped suddenly. 

"Damn," Mulder said. 

"What's wrong?" 

"I killed six bigfoots in this cavern. Their bodies are gone." Mulder started moving again, tightening his hold around Doggett's waist. He was tempted to carry him, not liking how badly the man was limping, but he knew that would be too big a blow to Doggett's pride. 

A sudden feeling of dj vu came over Doggett at being blind and underground with Mulder. He realized that he had no problem trusting this man with his life. He sighed with relief as he caught a glimpse of light coming from the cave exit up ahead. 

They made it out of the underground caves without incident. The snow had stopped falling and the predawn sky was filled with stars. Mulder quickly pulled the cellphone out of his pocket and called Jack while Doggett shuffled from foot to foot as he listened to the one-sided conversation. 

"Jack, Agent Doggett is alive but in poor shape. We need to get him to the hospital stat! Agent Reyes has been killed. I found them in a system of underground caves along with the bodies of three other humans." Mulder listened, then nodded at something that was said on the other end. 

"I'll set off a flare so you can find us and bring along a pair of snow boots." Mulder glanced at Doggett's bare feet. "Around a size eleven." 

Mulder continued his phone conversation as he snagged the backpack he had hidden behind some boulders. "No. I don't think they'll find any of those creatures still in the caves. Just hurry." 

Mulder ended the call and pocketed his cellphone. 

"My friend Jack Fenig is going to pick us up with his helicopter. The National Guard has arrived and is going to follow Jack's helicopter here. They're bringing the FBI agents with them." 

He swept the snow off a boulder and motioned Doggett over. He could see that the Agent's ears were already becoming a bright red so he pulled the hood up on the coat and tied it. "Sorry, John, I should have made sure you were warm before calling Jack. Sit down on the boulder, I want to get these socks on you before you get frostbite." 

"Mulder, I'm glad you called your friend first." Doggett hated being helpless and he grudgingly did as he was told, having no other choice. 

"Fuck, why didn't you say something? Your feet are pretty badly cut." 

Doggett shrugged. "Fox, what did you mean by they won't find any of those creatures in the caves?" He enjoyed the warmth of Mulder's fingers against his cold feet as Mulder tenderly pulled the socks on them. 

Mulder didn't correct Doggett on the use of his first name. For some reason he liked how it sounded when Doggett said it. 

"When we were leaving the caves I didn't sense any of them nearby, like I had going into the caves. I think they've abandoned their caves, since we now know where they live," Mulder said. 

"Do you think they're going to move somewhere else?" 

"Yes." 

"Then this isn't over." Doggett clenched his teeth in anger. "They're going to keep on attacking and killing humans!" 

"I think it's over for now. They could have attacked me several more times in the cave system before I could reach you but they didn't." 

"Why didn't they?" Doggett asked. 

Mulder had removed the night vision goggles and Doggett gazed into the eyes from his darkest fantasies. 

"Fear. They were always the biggest predator in these woods. They just discovered another predator that is far more dangerous than them. This is about survival, John; if they want to survive they are going to have to avoid humans. The only thing that puzzles me is why they attacked in the first place. Is the deer population down?" 

Doggett swayed and nearly fell off the boulder. Mulder was beside him in a flash, holding him safely against his body. 

"I have you." 

Doggett leaned up against Mulder. The last of his energy reserve had left him. "I think they might have attacked because Ben Dally struck one with his mail truck. I found blood and fur on a broken grill and fender. They seemed to have targeted the mail truck when they attacked the family. Also a land development company was intruding on their land." 

The sound of several helicopters filled the forest around them. Mulder reached into the backpack and pulled out a flare. He ignited it and tossed it out into the clearing. 

It was five minutes later that the National Guard troops rushed through the trees to where Mulder and Doggett sat. Doctor Jackson, Agents Morris, Beck, and Galloway followed behind the troops. Doctor Jackson was carrying a pair of boots while Beck carried a stretcher. 

A major in the guard walked over to them. "Sir, can you apprise us of the situation?" 

Mulder nodded toward the hidden entrance to the cave. "You'll find an opening to an underground cave system behind those boulders. It was where a tribe of Sasquatch lived. If you follow that tunnel you'll come out on a large cavern with three tunnels leading off in different directions. Take the one on the far right. It will lead you to the bodies of Agent Reyes and three residents of Barrett." 

Doctor Jackson helped Doggett on with the boots then started examining him. "We need to get you to the hospital. I've called ahead to St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. Jack says he can have us there in thirty minutes." 

The other agents looked sadly at him. "John, we're sorry about Monica," Beck said. 

"Bill, take care of her body for me. I didn't like leaving her down there," Doggett said weakly as Mulder and Jackson helped him on the stretcher. 

"Don't worry, John." Beck met Mulder's eyes. "Good work, Mulder." 

"Thanks, Bill." Mulder picked up one end of the stretcher while the Doctor lifted the other end. 

Doggett closed his eyes against the painful throbbing in his head as they trudged through the snow toward the helicopter. He finally had time to wonder at Mulder's presence there in Barrett. Mulder had appeared out of nowhere to save his butt. Why was he there and how did he know how to find him? 

Jack jumped out of the helicopter and helped them get Doggett onboard. Mulder reluctantly climbed into the front seat, leaving Doggett in the back to Doctor Jackson's care. 

As the helicopter lifted off the ground, Mulder pulled out his cellphone and called Skinner. 

"Skinner." The A.D.'s voice sounded anxious. 

"Sir, it's Mulder." 

"Mulder, I just got through to Sheriff Sawyer in Barrett. He said that you said that Agent Reyes was dead and that Agent Doggett was injured. Mulder, how is he?" 

"We're on our way to St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. From what I can tell, he has two broken arms and is badly bruised," Mulder said quietly. 

"I'm going to catch the next flight to Duluth and head up the investigation into Agent Reyes' death," Skinner said. 

Mulder leaned back and smiled softly, enjoying the sound of Skinner's determined voice. "I'll be at the hospital with Agent Doggett if you want to get my statement. I should have it written out by the time you land." 

"Thanks, Mulder. I'll see you soon." 

* * *

St. Luke's Hospital  
Duluth, Minnesota  
Sunday, December 2, 2001  
11:00 a.m. 

Mulder was sitting at Doggett's bedside sipping a cup of coffee when Skinner stepped into the room. 

"How is he?" Skinner asked as he saw both of Doggett's arms in casts and the bruise on the side of his face. 

"After they determined he didn't have a concussion, they gave him a sedative to help him sleep." 

"Mulder, tell me what happened?" 

"I found him in a cave hanging upside down along side dead deer and dead humans in what appeared to be a larder. John was the only one alive. Agent Reyes' neck had been broken. I'm sure John was meant for the same fate." 

"Did you see any of these bigfoots?" 

"I killed six of them. By the time I brought John out through the cavern where I had shot them, their bodies were gone." Mulder looked down at Doggett and asked quietly, "Walter, how's Scully doing?" 

"Fine. I'm sorry, Mulder." 

"About what? Scully and I aren't lovers, and William is Scully's son not mine." 

"Scully thinks he's your son." 

"Why, because we tried IVF? It failed. Walter, I love Scully but I'm not in love with her. I told you that before, she's yours if she wants you." 

Neither man knew that Doggett was awake and listening to them. 

"Mulder, Dana isn't interested in me. I tried to invite her out once but she turned me down." 

Mulder grinned sadly. "Don't look at me for advice. I never was lucky with women, nor men for that matter." 

"Don't worry, I know better than to look to you for advice on romance. I'd be better off talking to Frohike." Skinner looked down at Doggett's bruised face. "What's your interest in John?" 

"I need his help to fight them." 

"There's no fighting them, Mulder." 

Mulder shook his head. "Yes, there is. We can win the war. We can defeat them. Walter, I know your hands are tied. The bureau has too many alien conspirators in its management chain. Join me down in Texas, we can fight them together." 

"I can't, Mulder. I need to work against them from the inside. I can't do that if I'm out of the bureau." Skinner felt frustrated as he looked at Mulder. "You said you'd have your statement written out." 

Mulder reached into his coat pocket that was draped over the back of the chair he was sitting on and passed Skinner several folded sheets of paper. "I wrote down everything I remembered. I'm sorry Reyes was dead before I could get to them, if I hadn't gotten lost." 

"John would have died if it weren't for you. Don't beat yourself up over this." Skinner knew how Mulder borrowed guilt for things he wasn't responsible for. He studied his former agent's scruffy appearance. "When was the last time you slept?" he asked with concern. 

"Before I called you yesterday morning." 

"Why don't you get a hotel room and get some sleep?" 

"I want to be here when John wakes up. I don't think it's a good idea for him to be alone after losing his partner and nearly his life." 

"Go get yourself some sleep, Fox. I'm not going anywhere," Doggett said as he turned his head to look at Mulder. 

"How long have you been awake?" 

"Since around the time you were trying to set Skinner up with Scully." 

"How are you feeling?" Mulder placed his hand on Doggett's forehead. 

"Like I was hit by a truck." He swallowed and groaned. "I think I'm coming down with a sore throat to top it off." 

"Well, running around outside in the middle of winter in your bare feet will do that to you, guy," Mulder said softly. 

Skinner stepped up to the bed. "John, I'm heading to Barrett, if you're feeling up to it I'd like to get your statement." He pulled out a tape recorder. 

"I'm up to it." 

"I'll come back later," Mulder said as he stood and headed for the door. "The nurses have been giving me nasty looks. I think I need a shower and a shave." 

"Fox." 

Mulder paused in the doorway and looked back at Doggett. 

"Thanks." 

Mulder smiled at him then left. 

Skinner didn't miss the look that passed between the two men. There was something deeper going on between them than he cared to explore. He had the feeling that he was going to lose another exceptional agent. 

* * *

Hawthorn Suites  
Duluth, Minnesota  
Sunday, December 2, 2001  
1:00 p.m. 

Mulder normally would have been fine with a cheap motel, but after the night and day he just went through he wanted a place with a whirlpool bath. He needed to get the chill out of his bones. The two-bedroom suite was a bit opulent, but being the off-season, it wasn't as expensive as he would have expected. It's not like Mulder was hurting for money. He still had the inheritances his parents left him, sitting in different funds earning thousands of dollars a month in interest and dividend payments. It was far more than he earned as an agent for the FBI. If he had more of an interest in finances he'd probably be able to earn even more money. His place in Texas on the New Mexico border only cost him fifty dollars. The yearly taxes were to be paid from an account set up by the previous owner. He'd only been living there a week and it already felt like home. 

Mulder stripped and placed his clothes in a bag to be cleaned by the hotel laundry. The whirlpool tub faced the windows overlooking the Duluth harbor. It was a beautiful sight as the sun danced off the choppy surface of the open water. Ice had formed on the surface close to the shoreline and the bank was coated in a glistening thick layer of ice and snow. 

Mulder stepped into the bathtub and sank up to his neck in the steaming water. The tub was large enough for two, which caused Mulder's thoughts to turn back to Doggett. He'd never been more scared in his life than the moment he saw Doggett's body hanging upside down in that cave. Mulder had thought he was dead until he heard Doggett's voice. Hearing it made Mulder face his feelings for the man. Pure and simple, he wanted Doggett. He'd wanted Doggett since the oilrig when they started off as rivals then became a team. He wanted to feel Doggett's arms around him, wanted to taste every part of him. Mulder never felt more connected to another human than he felt to John, a man he barely knew. Not even Adam had stirred his emotions as deeply. He and John had a past connection that transcended time. 

The look Doggett had given him as he was leaving the hospital room was filled with promise. Mulder wiped at a tear that was falling down his cheek as the events of the past several hours finally caught up with him and he admitted the final truth, he was in love. He wasn't sure if Doggett would return it and he hoped that he could survive it this time. The last time it had nearly destroyed him. 

"Fox, John's confused about his feelings for you." 

Mulder looked up at Reyes sitting on the edge of the bathtub. "Monica." 

"He wants you, but you're going to have to pursue him. Don't let his pigheadedness discourage you." She smiled and disappeared. 

Mulder closed his eyes enjoying the strange peaceful feeling her presence had stirred in him. He'd take a quick nap before going back to the hospital. 

* * *

St. Luke's Hospital  
Duluth, Minnesota  
Sunday, December 2, 2001  
5:00 p.m. 

Doggett was groggy and in pain. His arms throbbed and his ribs hurt. He wondered if Mulder was going to come back today or ever. He needed something to distract him from how miserable he was feeling, and just looking at Mulder could accomplish that. 

Agent Beck and Agent Galloway had stopped by on their way home, both men looking like hell. This case had taken its toll on all of them. Doggett glanced at the vase of flowers they had brought him. It sat on the window ledge next to a couple of other bouquets from friends back in D.C. 

He glanced over at the doorway as Mulder walked into the room looking refreshed. He had shaved and dressed in a clean pair of jeans and dark green sweater that brought out the green in his eyes. He looked so sexy. He was carrying a teddy bear dressed in an overcoat. Mulder held the bear up so he could see it. It had blue eyes and a little FBI badge. "He looks like you. Don't you think?" He then placed the bear on the ledge next to the vases of flowers. 

"I didn't realize I was that hairy." 

Mulder smiled. "Do you need anything?" 

"Some ice water would be nice," Doggett said. 

Mulder picked up the pitcher of water. Most of the ice cubes had melted but it was still cold. He poured the water into a glass then raised the hospital bed before holding the glass to John's lips. Doggett drank slowly. 

"John, you're going to need time to recuperate. I would like to help you." 

"What do you have in mind?" Doggett had been wondering how he would manage without the use of his arms. He had been considering hiring a nurse, but he hated the thought of being dependent on a complete stranger. 

"I've arranged for Jack to fly us back to D.C., or if you'd prefer to take a vacation, to my new place down in Texas. I want to help you, if you'll let me." Mulder ran his finger down the cast. "You're not going to be able to take care of yourself until you get the casts off." 

"Wouldn't it be dangerous for you to be near D.C.?" 

"Maybe, but I'm not afraid of them." 

Doggett wanted to find out more about the conversation he overheard between Mulder and Skinner. Also, coming close to dying had shifted his priorities, he now wanted to explore this attraction he felt for Mulder. "Texas. At least it's warm down there." 

Mulder sat on the bed, careful of the tubes and wires. "John, when I was looking for you, I had lost the trail. You're going to think this is crazy, but Monica appeared out of nowhere and led me to the cave. I think she was looking out for you." 

Doggett sighed, "I don't think you're crazy. When I was down there...before you found me, she appeared to me." He closed his eyes, not wanting Mulder to see the pain he was feeling, but the tears still flowed freely. "Monica said you were coming to rescue me. She looked so peaceful and beautiful." 

Mulder placed his hand on Doggett's chest then he leaned down and kissed the man softly on the lips. He looked into Doggett's tear-filled, blue eyes and asked, "Do you still want to go to Texas with me?" 

Doggett nodded, too stunned to speak. 

"Your Doctor says you can leave the hospital tomorrow afternoon." 

"Fox, just bring me someplace warm," Doggett said. He could still feel the tingle of Mulder's lips on his. 

"Texas is hot. A bit too hot for me. I prefer the New England climate the best. Nothing is more perfect than a white New England snowfall during the holidays." 

"I don't mind an occasional snowfall as long as it melts the next day, it's the cold that I hate." Doggett yawned, he was feeling tired. 

"John, I'll arrange with the hospital to release you into my care. I'll talk to Skinner when he gets back from Barrett later this evening." Mulder brushed the backs of his fingers over Doggett's cheek. "I have something I want you to see in New Mexico once you're feeling better." 

Doggett leaned into Mulder's touch. He wanted more than anything to forget the past couple of days. 

* * *

Hawthorn Suites  
Duluth, Minnesota  
Sunday, December 2, 2001  
10:00 p.m. 

Skinner knocked on the hotel door. Mulder had called him that afternoon and offered to share a two-bedroom suite with him. 

Mulder opened the door and let him in. "Walter, how's the investigation going?" 

"It's complicated." Skinner set his suitcase down along with Doggett's carryon that he'd picked up in Barrett. Then he shrugged off his coat before walking over to the small wet bar in the corner of the room. "If it weren't for the bodies of the bigfoots that were shot attacking the church, we'd be in trouble trying to prove that these creatures actually existed. They're going to try to track down the bigfoots that were in that cave system. I don't know if they'll have any luck finding them." He poured himself a drink. "Mulder, I spent a couple of hours in those caves. I don't know where you found the courage to go down there alone." 

"Courage had nothing to do with it. A friend's life was in danger." 

Skinner took a sip from his glass, enjoying the slow burn down his throat. "You've always put others ahead of your own life regardless of the danger. I don't know if that's brave or suicidal." 

Mulder shrugged. "You've put your life and career on the line many times for Scully and I, so you tell me?" 

"I was doing my job, Mulder." 

"So was I. It might all be for nothing. If John and I can't stop the aliens, life as we know it will cease to exist." 

"Why is John Doggett so important to your plans?" 

Mulder poured himself a brandy and walked over to the window to look out at the harbor. "John might be skeptical and unwilling to believe beyond what he can see with his own eyes, but he's a fighter and once he sees and understands the danger he'll put his whole heart and soul into the battle." 

"He's not going to follow you, Mulder." 

"I'm not looking for a follower. I want and need a partner." 

"You're going to get him killed." 

"He'll be dead or enslaved in the near future anyway, along with the rest of Earth's population." Mulder knew that was a little harsh, but it was the truth that had to be faced. 

"Do you really think you and John can change that?" 

"Yes." 

"How? The government has been trying for decades to stop the invasion. Your own father was part of it and failed! How can you stop them?" 

"My father and the members of the consortium betrayed the people of this planet. They collaborated with the aliens instead of fighting them. They were protecting their own interests. They allowed the aliens to infiltrate top levels of the FBI and government." 

"And how do you fight them, Mulder? How do you fight an advance race of alien beings set on destroying our world?" Skinner's voice was filled with frustration and anger. 

Mulder touched the black arrowhead underneath his sweater. "We find their weakness and use it against them." 

"I wish you luck, Mulder. I just wish you'd leave Agent Doggett out of this." 

"He's coming down to Texas with me after he's released tomorrow. I'm going to take care of him until he's able to care for himself. After that it will be John's decision whether he wants to stay and help me." 

Skinner frowned. "What about the X-Files? Who's going to carry on your work if John leaves?" 

Mulder shook his head. "This is larger than the X-Files." He knew his former boss was feeling isolated within the bureau and in need of someone he could trust. "Walter, my door will always be open to you if you ever decide to resign from the FBI and help us fight them." 

"I'll think about it, Mulder." Skinner finished his drink while standing beside Mulder looking out over the moonlit harbor. "I'm going to turn in. Which room is mine?" 

"The room on the left." The rooms were identical each with a whirlpool bathtub and a king-sized bed. 

"I could use a hot bubble bath." Skinner carried his suitcase into his room. Then he walked into the bathroom and started the whirlpool tub filling. He was curious about Mulder's place in Texas, it wasn't a part of the country he'd ever imagine Mulder living. 

* * *

St. Luke's Hospital  
Duluth, Minnesota  
Monday, December 3, 2001  
4:30 p.m. 

Doggett clenched his teeth as the nurse removed the catheter. It burned like a bitch. 

"Almost done, Mr. Doggett," Nurse Sullivan said. "Is your friend bringing your clothes?" 

"Yeah...I guess." 

"Doctor Lee wants to talk to you and your friend before you leave." The nurse helped Doggett sit up and pulled a pair of clean white socks over his bandaged feet. Then she stepped out of the room. 

Mulder would be picking him up in a few minutes. Doggett was surprised that he wasn't having second thoughts about going to Texas with Mulder. He needed a quiet place to recuperate and rethink his life. Plus he wondered about Mulder's reason for wanting to take care of him and why he had kissed him. 

The object of his thoughts walked through the doorway carrying a Target shopping bag. "Hi, John, I left your carryon bag in the SUV. I stopped at the store and picked up something that would fit over your casts. Your jeans were pretty trashed, so I bought you a new pair." 

"Thanks." Doggett was sitting on the bed. Two metal bars coming off a belt around his waist supported his fiberglass encased arms above his chest. One of his arms had a simple fracture so that cast could be removed in a few weeks. His other arm had a compound fracture and it might be six weeks or more before that cast came off. His bruised ribs were also bound, but they felt a hundred percent better today. 

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? You do realize that I'm going to need your help even to wipe my ass?" Doggett asked. 

"I'm sure," Mulder said as he removed the price tags from the new jeans, oversized flannel shirt, and down vest he'd purchased. It would be enough to get to the airport and onboard Jack's helicopter. 

He walked over to Doggett and placed his hand on his thigh. "This is going to be harder for you than me. I know it's going to take you time to get over Monica's death, even knowing that she's content, it still has to hurt. If you want to talk about her or anything I'll be there for you." 

"Can you answer one question? What were you doing in Wisconsin?" Doggett stood as Mulder helped him dress. 

"Looking for you...I had a dream while I was in New Mexico that you were in danger. I called Skinner and he told me where I could find you." Mulder noticed that the bruise on John's cheek was gone. That puzzled him. Maybe John hadn't been as badly bruised as he remembered from yesterday. 

The nurse came back with a wheelchair. Doctor Lee was at her side. 

"I see you're ready to leave. I wanted to give Mr. Mulder your prescriptions to fill at the pharmacy downstairs, and a list of instructions for caring for the casts. Most important is to keep them dry. You can purchase waterproof shields down in the pharmacy for when you shower or bathe. Do not stick objects down your cast to scratch itching skin. Inspect the skin around the cast for redness or raw flesh, contact your doctor if you have any irritations." Doctor Lee handed Mulder a pamphlet and the handwritten prescription. 

"You're getting the good stuff, John," Mulder said as he read the small list of drugs. 

Doggett sneezed suddenly, and Mulder grabbed a couple of tissues and held them to his nose, Doggett blew into the tissues. "Thanks, Fox. Shall we go?" he asked as he sat in the wheelchair. 

"Yeah. Jack is waiting for us at the airport." Mulder started to push him toward the door. 

"Wait!" 

"What?" 

"My bear." 

"Oh." Mulder smiled sheepishly and went to get the FBI bear off the ledge. He placed it on Doggett's lap. 

Doggett wasn't normally sentimental. When he received birthday cards, he'd usually read them then toss them in the trash--no displaying them on his desk. 

* * *

The Cody Ranch  
Cody, Texas  
Monday, December 3, 2001  
9:00 p.m. 

Doggett took a deep breath and winced, God his throat hurt. What in the hell was he doing going to Texas with Fox Mulder? Was he out of his mind? Maybe the blow to his head had knocked the last bit of common sense out of him. Okay, maybe what he was really feeling right now was fear at the prospect of being alone with Mulder. 

He looked out the helicopter's window at the dark land below. It seemed like they were traveling over miles of empty country with no lights to be seen in any direction. His arms ached. He hated not being able to move them. And to top it all off his cold was getting worse. Mulder had been very attentive to his needs, he never would have thought Mulder capable of such intense tenderness, at least where he was concerned. He knew from profiling the man that Mulder was highly compassionate toward victims. The last thing he wanted was for Mulder to consider him a victim. 

"What's your place like?" Doggett finally asked to take his mind off his current state of discomfort. 

"Big. It's a fifty thousand-acre ranch that had been in the same family since the 1800s. The owner, William Franklin Cody, was a member of NICAP and a few other UFO groups. He was also the last of his family line. His lawyer contacted me after he died, it was in his will that I'd be given the chance to purchase the property for fifty dollars as long as I agreed to live there and continue my fight against the government's cover up of the existence of aliens." Mulder looked out the window. "I received the phone call from the lawyer as I was packing up my apartment. It seemed almost prophetic, if not damned good timing. I had the Lone Gunmen check into Cody's background; he was a recluse and eccentric. His neighbors hadn't seen him in years. He spent a lot of his time online with the different UFO groups he belonged to. Anyway, I needed a place to hideout so I accepted the offer. The transfer of the title is sealed, so no one knows I own the property. I'm using the name Samuel F. Cody, and passing myself off as William Cody's illegitimate son. The Gunmen set me up with all of the appropriate documents." 

Flickering lights from at least six campfires appeared below before the electric lights from the buildings on the property came into view. The helicopter's lights illuminated a huge Santa Fe pueblo style home with viga beams, a stucco exterior, and a swimming pool out back along with a tennis court as it flew over it. Doggett couldn't make out much more than that; it was just too dark. The helicopter settled down in front of the home. 

Mulder smiled at Doggett. "Not bad for fifty dollars." 

"No. Not bad," Doggett whispered his throat too painful to speak above a harsh whisper. 

"Your voice is sounding raw." 

"It's this damned cold," Doggett sighed. 

"I'll make you some chicken soup when we get inside." 

"I didn't know you could cook." 

"I can operate a can opener and heat things up. I can also make coffee and tea." Mulder opened the helicopter door and helped Doggett climb out. 

"Jack, thanks for the lift," Mulder said as he grabbed their bags from the back of the helicopter. 

"No problem, Mulder, call me again if you need me." 

"Fox, you must have done something to impress this William Cody for him to leave you his land and home," Doggett said as he noticed several tents and campers in the field near the house. 

"Alien abductees," Mulder said, answering Doggett's unasked question. "They started showing up here two days after I moved in." 

"How did they know you were here?" 

"They didn't. They claimed to have been drawn here. Unfortunately a few did recognize me," Mulder said as they walked up to the front door, he dug out his keys and opened it. 

"I really could use something hot to drink for my throat. My Pa used to give me hot lemon tea with a little honey and brandy," Doggett said as he glanced around foyer into the living room with its earthy tones. The home had red clay floors and cream stucco walls. 

"I have tea and honey, and there's a bottle of lemon juice in the refrigerator. I don't have any brandy but I do have some vodka. However with the medication you're taking, it's best that you don't drink any alcohol." Mulder placed the bags on a bench in the foyer then led him into the kitchen, turning on the lights as he went. 

"A little vodka isn't going to kill me," Doggett said. 

Mulder pulled out a stool at the kitchen counter. "Why don't you have a seat? We can talk as I make the tea." 

Doggett sat on the stool next to a circular hearth that separated the kitchen and breakfast room from the family room. He quietly contemplated his surroundings. The place was in need of a paint job and repairs; there was a crack in the plaster next to the window. "Is there any livestock on the ranch?" 

"Some horses. Mr. Cody sold off all of his cattle years ago." Mulder placed a kettle of water on the gas range to heat. 

"Who takes care of the horses?" Doggett asked, turning his head and trying to rub the tip of his nose on the cast. It had started itching. Not being able to move his arms seemed to have caused every part of his body to itch. 

Mulder glanced at him. "Do you need help?" 

"Yeah, can you scratch my nose?" 

"Sure." Mulder moved to his side, reached over the cast, and scratched his nose. "How's that?" 

"Fine, now do my back." 

Mulder lifted Doggett's shirt and scratched his bare skin. He left hand rested on Doggett's thigh. 

"Yeah that's it; a little higher," Doggett sighed as Mulder's nails soothed each itch. "Thanks, Fox." 

The teakettle started whistling Mulder rushed over and turned off the burner. He pulled two mugs from the cabinet. In Doggett's he added a splash of lemon juice and honey before filling it with water and adding the teabag. He allowed it to steep as he filled his own mug. 

"You never answered my question," Doggett said as he wondered where Mulder kept the vodka. 

Mulder looked at him questioningly. 

"Who takes care of the horses?" 

"Oh, I have a ranch hand to look after the horses and the land. Actually he was Mr. Cody's employee and his salary is paid from a fund that Mr. Cody had setup with his lawyer." 

Mulder picked up the mug and held it up to Doggett's lips. "Careful it's hot," he warned. 

"I'm not a child, I know it's hot," Doggett muttered as he blew on the beverage before taking a small sip. With Mulder's hand resting comfortably on his back and the long length of him pressed up against his side, Doggett felt a different type of heat creep down to his groin as the hot tea soothed his throat. 

"I'm sorry, John. This is hard enough for you and I'm not making it any easier." 

"No, it's me. I don't like being this helpless. I'm going to warn you that I'm going to be a piss poor patient." Doggett hoped his arousal would go down before Mulder noticed. 

"Would you like me to run you a bath after we eat?" Mulder asked softly as Doggett took another sip. 

"No!" Doggett said a bit too quickly. 

Mulder shrugged as he continued to hold the mug, waiting for Doggett to take another sip. He could understand Doggett's nervousness. "John, about me kissing you at the hospital. I'm sorry if that might have upset you, I should never have taken advantage of you while you were unable to defend yourself." 

"Why did you kiss me?" 

"You looked like you needed some sort of comfort. I admit it was bit impulsive of me to kiss you." 

"I can't say I regretted being kissed by you. Fox, I'm not gay but for some reason I find myself sexually attracted to you." There he said it, Doggett was glad he finally got that off his chest. 

Mulder smiled softly. "I'm bisexual." He picked up his own mug of tea and took a sip. "I had a long term relationship with a man ten years ago. I was in love with him and even wore his ring." Mulder glanced down at his empty finger. "Then after more than two years together he just upped and left me. I found a note after I returned home from my first out-of-town X-File's case. This was over a year before Scully was assigned to work with me. I never told her about Adam, only the Gunmen and Diana knew." 

Doggett heard the deep pain in Mulder's voice and wanted to learn more about his relationship with this Adam, unfortunately his bladder started hurting, he'd held off going for too long. "Damn, I need drain the lizard." 

Mulder set his mug down and licked his lips nervously. "Come on, guy, we'll both get used to this in time." 

Doggett doubted that as he followed Mulder into a small washroom off the living room. It only had a sink and a toilet. He stood in front of the toilet and waited for Mulder to help him. Mulder stepped behind him and unzipped his jeans, pulling his semi-erect penis free. Doggett blushed as it swelled even further in Mulder's hand. 

"Don't be embarrassed, it's quite natural to be aroused under the circumstances. Do you think you'll be able to pee or do you want me to jerk you off?" Mulder asked in his best deadpan voice, trying to cover up his own arousal that was unfortunately pressing against Doggett's ass. 

"Jerk me off, I really have to go," Doggett moaned as he realized that having a full-blown erection on top of a full bladder was sheer torture. 

Mulder used a little of the pre-cum dripping from the tip of Doggett's cock to slick the hard length of his shaft. He felt the throbbing of the large vein under his fingers as he stroked up and down. Soon, erotic sounds of pleasure began to issue from Doggett's lips as his inhibitions melted away. His moans of pleasure stirred Mulder's own arousal. Mulder's fingers squeezed and pumped the cock harder and faster; doing the timeless dance they've done thousands of times for his own release. It wasn't long before Doggett's head fell back on his shoulder and he cried out as he came. Milky strands of come arched into the air, landing on the floor and toilet. 

Mulder held him securely, kissing the side of Doggett's neck until the quivers quieted. 

"You're good," Doggett murmured still leaning against Mulder's chest. 

"Lot's and lot's of practice," Mulder said. "Do you think you can go now?" 

"Yeah, just aim me in the right direction." Doggett straightened, noticing the white splashes on the back of the toilet. He sighed with relief as the urine flowed out of him into the bowl. Next time he wouldn't wait so long to ask Mulder to help him. 

Mulder gave his penis a shake then tucked it back into his jeans and zipped them up. He washed his hands at the sink. "It's getting late. Do you want to go to bed? Or we can watch television." 

"Bed. I'm tired." 

"Okay, then. Let me show you where you're going to be sleeping then I'll help you get ready for bed." 

Doggett followed Mulder out of the small washroom, careful not to bump his casts on the doorframe. 

Mulder retrieved their bags and led him down the hall into the master bedroom. He flipped on the light switch. "You'll be more comfortable in here. I'll sleep on the sofa in the office next door." 

The room had a large king-sized bed and a door that led out to a covered patio. Mulder unpacked Doggett's few meager possessions and put them away in the dresser. He raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a half-empty box of strawberry pop tarts. "Would you like me to have Frohike retrieve some more clothes for you at your place and ship them down here?" 

"I suppose. I'll make a list of what I need." Doggett looked at his arms and sighed. "Make that, you'll make the list." 

Doggett wandered around the room, looked into the master bath, and whistled. It had one of the largest bathtubs he'd ever seen, dual sinks, and a separate shower. "How big is this place?" 

"I'll give you a tour in the morning. I've only stayed here four days myself and am still getting used to it." 

"I thought you moved in a week ago?" 

"I did, but I had some business in New Mexico then in Wisconsin." 

Doggett leaned against the doorframe watching Mulder. He enjoyed the way the man looked and moved. He wanted to find out more about this former lover of Mulder's. 

"Do you sleep in pajamas?" Mulder asked. 

"I prefer sleeping in my boxers unless it's a cold night." 

"Okay, let's get you undressed then I'll help you brush your teeth and give you your medicine." Mulder kneeled at Doggett's feet and helped him off with his shoes. 

"Fox, does Scully know where you are?" 

"No. Walter does. If there's an emergency he'll get in touch with me." Mulder folded the jeans over a chair. His face turned contemplative. "I was warned that my life was in danger and my presence placed Scully and her son's lives in danger. I didn't want to chance their being killed, so I left." 

"Couldn't they have gone into hiding with you?" 

"No. Scully has her career and didn't want to quit. Besides, she has a chip in the back of her neck that would allow them to track her. Walter and the Gunmen are watching out for her and William. John, Scully wanted a baby, she didn't want a husband at least not me." 

Doggett followed Mulder into the bathroom and waited while Mulder set his toiletry bag on the counter and unpacked it, putting the toothbrush in a holder on the counter next to Mulder's own. His shaving gear went into the medicine cabinet. 

Mulder placed the bottles of medicine in the cabinet. "I need to change the bandages on your feet and rewrap your ribs. Go sit on the bathtub ledge." 

Doggett did as ordered and watched Mulder as he kneeled on the tiled floor at his feet then took his right foot on his lap and unwrapped the bandages. 

"Hmm, this is strange. Your foot is fine." Mulder removed the bandages from his other foot finding smooth skin beneath. He then unwound the binding from Doggett's ribs and ran his hand over them. "Not even a bruise...." He frowned deep in thought. 

"Maybe it wasn't as bad as you thought," Doggett said. 

Mulder didn't say anything as he walked over to the sink and filled a glass with water. He shook out the different pills. "I should have given you this one an hour ago. I'll have to write up a schedule. How's your cold?" 

Doggett frowned. "My throat no longer hurts and my sinuses are clear. This has to be the quickest I've gotten over a cold in my life, must be the climate down here," he said as he took each of the pills without protest. Next Mulder helped him brush his teeth. 

He yawned as Mulder led him back into the bedroom and over to the bed. Mulder pulled down the bedcovers and tucked him in. 

"John, if you need anything just shout, I'll be in the room next door. I'm a light sleeper." Mulder turned and headed for the door. 

"Fox, stay." Doggett didn't want to be alone. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah. I don't...it will be easier if I need you during the night, if you slept in here." 

Mulder walked over to the dresser and started to undress for bed. He walked back into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and used to toilet. 

Doggett was staring up at the ceiling when he returned and climbed into bed next to him. "Goodnight, John." 

"Night, Fox." He felt more secure with Mulder sleeping beside him. 

A few minutes after both men had fallen asleep a dark shadow drifted across the room over to the bed. A wispy hand reached out and caressed the side of Mulder's face before it pulled away and drifted down into the floor. In the cellar, the figure drifted through a shelf full of wine bottles into a secret room beyond. The walls in the room were filled with photos and magazine clippings of Mulder. 

* * *

Skinner's apartment  
Tuesday, December 4, 2001  
6:00 a.m. 

The warm water helped to clear the sleepy cobwebs from Skinner's brain as he closed his eyes and allowed it to wash over his head. He arrived home at ten o'clock last night after wrapping up the official investigation into Agent Reyes' death. Her body was being flown back to D.C. As per her written will, she was to be cremated. Her parents were arranging a memorial service on Thursday then her ashes would be turned over to Agent Doggett. 

Skinner hoped Doggett would be able to make the service. He was worried about Mulder showing his face in D.C., but it was unavoidable with him caring for Doggett. He finished his shower and dressed. After a quick breakfast, he checked his answering machine before leaving for work. 

When Skinner arrived at his office, he had a message on his voice mail from D.D. Kersh ordering him to stop down to his office immediately. Skinner walked into his bathroom and pulled out a bottle of Tylenol from the medicine cabinet. He swallowed two capsules with a glass of water, and then headed for his meeting with the Deputy Director. 

"Is it true that Fox Mulder was involved in this Wisconsin case?" Kersh growled when Skinner walked through the doorway into his office. He already knew Mulder was there, but wanted to get Skinner's response. 

"Yes. If it weren't for Mulder, Agent Doggett would be dead along with Agent Reyes." 

"How did Mulder get involved?" 

"You'll have to ask Mulder." 

"Where is Agent Doggett?" 

"He's on medical leave. Both of his arms were broken. He's staying with a friend," Skinner said, hating the harshness of Kersh's voice. 

"Walter, it's all over the news! bigfoot! Former Agent Mulder's involvement! They're building this man into a living legend, some type of a hero!" Kersh snapped angrily. 

Skinner had caught the news while he waited for his plane at the airport. The reporter had been interviewing a National Guard soldier who had been one of the first to arrive on the scene to rescue Doggett and Mulder. The man only added to the legend, he described Mulder as unfazed and cool after rescuing Doggett from a cave filled with bigfoots. The networks and news agencies started delving into Mulder's background more thoroughly. Something about a strikingly good-looking man had caught their interest on a quest for higher ratings. The last thing Kersh and the FBI wanted was for Fox Mulder to be turned into an American hero. 

"He is," Skinner said, seeing a way to irritate Kersh. 

"He's what?" 

"A hero. A legend. Just wait until the press discovers that he rose from the grave after being buried for three months." Skinner enjoyed the look of panic on Kersh's face. 

"Those records are sealed and marked classified." 

"The men and women at the morgue and the hospital who witnessed Mulder's body being exhumed will talk. His abduction, death, and resurrection have been the main point of gossip around the bureau for months. You can't keep hundreds of people quiet." Skinner walked over to Kersh, for the first time since Mulder's abduction, he was no longer powerless. "If anything happens to Mulder there will be questions. Mulder has friends, not just in the bureau and government but among the different UFO groups." 

Kersh's eyes turned hard. "I want to talk to him. You know where Mulder is staying, get in touch with him and set up a meeting." 

"You can meet with him at Agent Reyes' funeral. Tell the people you work for to leave their hands off Mulder or they will open something that they will not be able to close." Skinner turned and left the office. There was a war coming and he was going to do everything in his power to see that they won it. 

* * *

The Cody Ranch  
Cody, Texas  
Tuesday, December 4, 2001  
3:00 p.m. 

Doggett could get used to Mulder's constant attention. He sat on the patio and looked out at the swimming pool as Mulder worked to clean it. Mulder had already removed several turtles that had taken up home in its murky depths while he drained its scummy water. It had to have been years since the pool had been used for swimming. 

The sun felt nice against Doggett's skin as he leaned forward and sipped iced tea through a straw. Shorts and a T-shirt were the dress of the day. Mulder wore denim shorts, sandals, and no shirt. His bare chest was nicely tanned and muscled, he had a black arrowhead hanging from a strip of leather around his neck. Mulder had long beautiful legs for a man, and really nice feet. Doggett could watch him all afternoon and not get bored. 

"Howdy, Sam!" A middle-aged cowboy said as he strolled into the backyard. He had a sun-hardened, long, lean body and walked as if he spent most of his time in the saddle. 

"Hey, Randy. How's it going?" Mulder asked as he set aside the long brush that he was using to scrub the sides of the pool. 

"Fine." The cowboy's eyes fell on Doggett. "Agent Doggett, it's a pleasure to meet you." 

"You know who I am?" 

"Yeah, your photo and Sam's or should I say Fox Mulder's have been all over the news since Sunday." 

Mulder groaned. "Oh great." 

"Don't worry, Sam, no one will find out that you and Agent Doggett are here especially the government. At least not from me or the people in town." 

"Since you know who I am, Randy, it's all right for you to call me Mulder." 

"Well, Mulder, another group of people just showed up this morning. They are setting up camp with the others. We're going to have to do something about them. I've given them access to the facilities in the bunkhouse, but if their number continues to grow we're going to have sanitation problems." Randy lived in the foreman's house on the property. 

"What do you suggest? I've already asked them to leave, but they've refused." 

"They're here because you're here. I didn't understand why until I watched the reports about you on the news. You're not going to get rid of them, they're here to follow you." 

"I'm not a leader, Randy." 

"You're more than a leader to these people. They see you as a savior." Randy took his hat off and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Is it really true that you were abducted by aliens?" 

Mulder closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes. What else is being said about me on the news?" 

"That most of the cases you worked on for the FBI are classified top secret. They showed a photograph of a twenty-foot man eating alligator you killed in Georgia. Saying that hunting monsters is something you do. They mentioned that Agent Doggett took over your work after you were let go." The ranch hand put back on his hat. "I'm going into town is there anything you want me to pick up?" 

"Yeah, let me make a list and get some money for you," Mulder said as he strolled inside the house. 

Randy walked over to where Doggett sat. "I saw the film of that bigfoot you killed. It took real balls for you to go after the bigfoot that took your partner and enter those caves alone." 

"I failed her." 

"You were willing to die for her that's the difference between a hero and a failure." 

"How long have you worked here?" Doggett asked. 

"Almost thirty years. Mr. Cody was a good employer. He still is," Randy said as he looked toward the house. 

Doggett wasn't sure if he was talking about Mulder or William Cody who was still paying his salary. 

Randy walked over to the edge of the pool and looked inside. "This climate is perfect right now. Not too hot like it gets here in the summer." 

Mulder came out of the house with a sheet of paper and an envelope. "I only need a few things to get us through this week. John and I are going to be flying to D.C. Thursday morning to attend his partner's funeral, depending on the time we'll either spend the night there or fly back home." 

"Are you having Jack fly you?" Randy asked. 

"Yeah. I can't take a commercial flight. It's not safe for me to go anywhere unarmed." 

"You still need to make a decision about these um...pilgrims," Randy said. 

Mulder shrugged. "If they keep coming we'll build a large restroom facility. I'm really hoping they'll get tired and go home." 

"I'll be back in a few hours." 

Doggett and Mulder watched him leave. "Fox, I need to use the bathroom again." 

"Okay, come on. I want to turn on the news and see what they're saying about us." 

"What do you have planned for dinner?" 

"Is there something you'd like?" Mulder asked as they walked into the house. 

"Beans and Franks," Doggett said. He'd seen several cans of baked beans in the cabinet and hot dogs in the refrigerator as Mulder was fixing them lunch. 

Mulder chuckled. "I think I can handle that." 

"You seem to be able to cook better than you're letting on," Doggett said as they stepped into the washroom, he remembered the French toast Mulder had made them for breakfast. 

Mulder shrugged as he unzipped Doggett's jeans. "One or two?" 

"Both." 

Mulder pulled the jeans down and Doggett sat on the toilet. Then Mulder tucked his penis between his thighs. Normally Doggett would have been embarrassed but Mulder did everything as if it was perfectly normal and it put Doggett at ease. 

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes," Mulder said, to give Doggett some privacy. 

Mulder walked into the kitchen. He washed his hands then pulled out a casserole dish and emptied a large can of baked beans into it then sliced up several all beef hot dogs. He fried a few slices of bacon that he placed on top of the beans. Then he put casserole dish into the oven. Mulder walked back into the bathroom. 

"Are you done?" 

Doggett blushed. "Yeah." 

Mulder didn't want Doggett to feel humiliated. "John, don't be embarrassed. If I didn't want to help you, I would have left you in the hospital." 

He took care in wiping John before he flushed the toilet and tucked him back into his pants. 

"Fox, thanks. I appreciate you helping me this way." 

Mulder washed his hands. "John, can I be honest with you? I've been fantasizing about you since we first met." 

"When we first met you shoved me and accused me of burying the truth." 

"I know. I'm not usually that flirtatious when I first meet someone," Mulder quipped. 

"If that was flirting, I'd hate to see what you'd do when you're seriously interested in someone." 

Mulder stepped between John's casts and placed his hands on the man's hips. He waited for some type of objection before he tilted his head and captured John's lips in a slow sweet kiss. He could feel the affect his kiss had on John by the growing hardness of their groins pressed together. "I'm sorry I shoved you," he said when the kiss ended. 

"Why did you?" Doggett used his body to press Mulder against the counter, keeping their erections firmly together. 

"Anger...frustration. When I returned, after months away, everything I knew had changed. I no longer felt a part of this world, it had moved on without me." 

"You were still an FBI agent." 

"No. I wasn't. Kersh was going to get rid of me one way or another, even if I hadn't made it easy for him by disobeying his orders on that oilrig case." 

"You didn't have to give up and disappear. You could have talked to me, I would have helped you." 

"John, I'm fighting aliens and you don't believe in aliens." 

"I might not believe in your aliens, Fox, but I do believe that our government is involved in experimenting on its own citizens." 

Mulder looked into John's stunning blue eyes. "Close enough for now. Hang around with me long enough and you'll eventually meet an alien face to face." 

"That's about what it will take," Doggett said as he captured Mulder's lips in a kiss while he continued to press his body against the counter. God he wanted to hold Mulder. He rocked his hips and ground their erections together. 

Mulder met his humping motion as he sucked on Doggett's exploring tongue. He wasn't sure which one of them came first as he felt a sudden dampness against his skin. They stood breathing heavily for several minutes before Mulder pulled away and grabbed a washcloth. He cleaned them both up. 

"Come on, John, the beans and franks should be done. We can eat while we watch TV." 

* * *

Skinner's residence  
Tuesday, December 4, 2001  
6:00 p.m. 

Skinner nursed a tumbler of bourbon while watching Shepard Smith on Fox news. 

'Who is Fox Mulder and where has he and Agent John Doggett disappeared to? Our news network has uncovered some incredible stories about this former FBI agent. The most incredible story so far is the length that our government is going to keep certain pieces of information about this man buried. Including one unbelievable story that the former Agent Mulder had himself been dead and buried for over three months before his boss Assistant Director Walter Skinner had his dead body exhumed.' The camera panned to a gravestone that still had Mulder's name on it along with his parents and sister. 'Fox news has interviewed several highly credible people, including the coroner who was there when the coffin was opened. Arthur Gaffin, tell our audience what you know about this story?' Smith asked. 

Skinner chuckled. He could just imagine the ulcer Kersh was getting if he was watching this news program. 

* * *

Back on the ranch 

Mulder's mouth hung open as he stared at the television screen. He completely forgot about the plate of food on his lap that he was feeding to John. 

"Fox, have I apologized for not wanting to dig you up?" Doggett asked. Leave it to Fox news to broadcast hours about the bigfoots in Wisconsin and about them. It really must be a slow news week. 

"What, John?" Mulder closed his mouth and looked at the man sitting next to him. 

"When Walter wanted to have your body exhumed I tried to talk him out of it." 

"Why did you do that?" 

"I didn't believe you could possibly be alive after three months and I was worried about what having you exhumed would do to Scully. She finally seemed to have gotten over your death." 

Mulder's face turned sad and distant, he got up and carried the half-eaten plate of beans to the kitchen. 

"Fox, what's wrong?" Doggett asked as he followed Mulder into the kitchen. 

"I once had someone in my life who would have mourned my death for more than a couple of months. Until I did something to push him away. It hurts knowing that none of my friends could be bothered to search for me for more than a week. Sometimes I wonder what the point has been to my life." 

"They searched." Doggett knew that after the second week, Scully had moved on with her life and had intentionally put Mulder out of her mind. For the months that he worked with her, Scully never mentioned Mulder's name except one time. Doggett never believed that aliens had abducted Mulder--he still didn't. He spent months following up on leads, even got himself shot in the back and killed at one point. Seeing Mulder now clearly upset, caused him to feel guilty, it never occurred to him that Mulder's friends not searching for him might hurt the man emotionally. Doggett wondered how Mulder had found out. He wished he had the use of his arms; Mulder was one man who clearly needed a hug. 

"John, it doesn't matter," Mulder sighed and straightened as he pulled himself together. "Do you want some ice cream?" 

"No, it does matter. You were severely tortured and your body dumped in the woods. Have you seen anyone? Talked about what you went through?" Doggett remembered every detail of Mulder's body. The wounds on his ankles, forearms, chest, and cheeks were grizzly. 

Mulder's bitter laugh went right through Doggett's heart like a dagger. "Who would I talk to? I'd be branded insane and committed." 

"What about Scully?" 

Mulder just looked at him as if he had grown two heads. "Scully told me about how much my abduction had hurt her. I can't seem to do anything right." He opened the freezer. "Strawberry, rocky road, or butter pecan?" 

"What?" 

"Ice cream. What do you want?" 

"Butter pecan." 

Mulder pulled out a quart of butter pecan and one of strawberry. He scooped the ice cream into two bowls. "Do you mind if we watch the SciFi channel? I've had enough with Fox news no matter how cute I find Shepard Smith." 

"You watch Fox because you have a crush on one of their anchors?" 

"I don't have a crush on him. I just like his looks." 

They walked back into the family room and sat on the sofa. Mulder placed both bowls on his lap as he flipped on the television. He alternated from eating a spoonful of strawberry ice cream and feeding John the butter pecan. They ate and watched TV in silence. Mulder hated that he had allowed his emotions to surface. He'd spent a long time hiding them from those around him. He didn't want to come across as bitter and needy. Watching the news tonight had brought it all back. Mulder hadn't realized how close he was to breaking. 

If it weren't for the damned cast in the way Doggett would have his arms around Mulder, he could feel the warmth of their bare thighs pressed together. This was sheer agony. "Fox, I want you to tell me what they did to you. It's not healthy to keep this all bottled up inside of you." 

"You don't believe in aliens. How can you understand what happened to me?" 

"Look, let me help you, like you're helping me." 

Mulder held the last spoonful of buttery ice cream to Doggett's lips. "When I'm ready to talk, okay." 

Doggett ate the spoonful as he looked into Mulder's eyes. He felt his ardor rise, wanting to feel those long strong fingers touching him again. "I could use a bath." 

"Sure. Let me put these in the dishwasher." Mulder stood. 

Randy walked in through the patio door. "Hey, Mulder, I have the items you wanted." He carried a case of beer in one hand and a brown grocery bag in the other. 

"Thanks, Randy. Can you put them on the kitchen counter?" 

"Yep. You're the talk of Canton." 

"Are you sure these people are going to keep my identity a secret?" 

"No one will pick up the telephone and call CNN, but it's not going to stop them from discussing you at Leadbelly saloon. Who knows who might overhear them." 

"Damn." 

"I'm sorry, Fox. Your cover is blown because of me," Doggett said. 

"It's not your fault. Besides, it will be pretty hard to maintain my cover with all of these people that keep showing up." Mulder put the groceries away as he talked, including two large T-bones and vegetables. 

"I better put that case of toilet paper in the bunkhouse," Randy said as he headed back outside. The bunkhouse had its own large kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms. Some of the abductees were sleeping there and all were using the showers and bathrooms. The ranch had several trailer hookups that were being used by a couple people with RVs. 

"Come on, John, I'll run you that bath. If you feel up to it maybe we can talk later." 

* * *

Joe's Bar  
Seacouver  
Tuesday, December 4, 2001  
8:00 p.m. 

"Do you think he's one you?" Dawson asked. 

MacLeod stared at the photo on the television screen. "How else could you explain it? Humans just aren't pronounced dead then buried for three months and live to tell about it." 

"Do you think he knows what he is?" Dawson asked. 

"Unless he's found himself an immortal teacher, I doubt it," MacLeod replied. 

"Adam, what do you think?" Dawson turned to the man sitting at the end of the bar, staring up at the television screen. "Adam?" 

Methos shook his head and stood. "He's not one of us!" he growled and headed out of the bar. 

Dawson watched him leave. It was rare to see Methos bothered. "What's gotten into him?" 

"I have no idea. I'll go talk to him," MacLeod said. 

* * *

The Cody Ranch  
Cody, Texas  
Tuesday, December 4, 2001  
9:00 p.m. 

"Tell me about Adam," Doggett asked as Mulder scrubbed his back with a washcloth. 

Mulder hesitated at first. He wondered if he was ready to talk about his former lover. It suddenly occurred to him as he looked at Doggett that the ache Adam had left in his heart was gone. "I met him when I was visiting my friend Chuck Burks at the University of Maryland. Adam was looking at getting a temporary research job at the University. He was around my age but his eyes seemed so much older. He was tall, lanky, and had a prominent nose. He had an aura about him that I found intriguing, mysterious. I felt drawn to him immediately. The feeling must have been mutual because he invited me out for a beer. We were up all night talking about everything from poetry to ancient Greece. I fell in love that night." Mulder started to wash Doggett's hair as he talked. He was careful not to get too much water on his casts even with the waterproof shields. 

"Adam moved into my apartment the next day and stayed for two years. I never met anyone that knew as much as he did about almost every subject." 

Doggett chuckled. 

"What, John?" 

"He sounds like you." 

"Well, thankfully, you're nothing like him. Close your eyes." Mulder poured water over his head. 

Doggett sighed as Mulder wiped his face dry with a towel. "Help me up, Fox. I'm starting to get water-logged." 

"You're turning into a prune." Mulder smirked as he helped Doggett out of the bathtub and onto the bathmat. 

Doggett didn't feel self-conscious being naked in front of Mulder. In fact, he was sort turned on by it. At least a part of his body stood up as Mulder dried him with a plush bath towel. 

A small grin appeared on Mulder's lips as he kneeled on the floor to dry John's legs. The man was in much better shape than was obvious from those suits he wore. Mulder licked his lips hungrily as he looked at the beautiful erect cock that bobbed before his eyes. "John, do you want me to take care of this for you?" 

Doggett looked down into Mulder's passion-filled face mere inches away from his rock hard erection. He'd never had a blowjob from another man, and Mulder's mouth looked like it was designed for the job. He nodded. 

Mulder dropped the towel and placed his hands on Doggett's hips as he lowered his lips to the plump cock and licked around the head. It had been so long since he had another man's cock in his mouth that it sent shivers of arousal throughout his body. There was nothing like the feel of the pulsating sex against his tongue while he inhaled the musky male scent. Too bad he'd just given Doggett a bath; soap and water had muted his scent. 

Doggett found it hard to maintain his balance as he felt the heat of Mulder's mouth around his shaft. His hips rocked forward in an unconscious effort to get more of his cock inside that moist heat. Mulder's fingers played with his sacks, squeezing and kneading them as if trying to force the come out of them. When a long slender finger breached his anus, Doggett stiffened and bore down on it as if he were trying to push it out. 

Mulder sucked harder on his cock and then took the entire length down his throat as his finger found a specific spot and rubbed it. 

"Oooh!" Doggett gasped. He'd never felt anything like that. Mulder massaged his prostate and stimulated his cock at the same time. Doggett came harder than he'd ever had come in his life and nearly fell on his ass. 

Mulder stood quickly and held him. 

Doggett rested his head on Mulder's shoulder as he caught his breath. "God, Fox. I wish I could touch you." 

Mulder smiled with satisfaction. "Come on, guy, it's getting late. We can watch TV in bed." 

Doggett sighed. It was going to be pure hell until he could get the casts off. 

* * *

MacLeod's Loft  
Seacouver  
Tuesday, December 4, 2001  
10:00 p.m. 

MacLeod watched as Methos shoved clothes into a canvas bag. 

"I'm going with you," he said as he crossed the room and pulled his bag out of the closet. 

"This is personal, MacLeod." 

"Who is this man to you?" 

"A mistake. I was looking for some companionship and pleasure when I realized I found something more and couldn't deal with it," Methos sighed. 

"He was your lover? How long?" 

"Two years." Methos slung his bag over his shoulder. "Fox is not an immortal, and I would have sensed it if he was a pre-immortal." 

"Then what is he?" MacLeod asked as he stuffed clothes into his bag. 

"Dammit, Mac, I'm not sure what's happened to him! I haven't seen or talked to him since 1991!" 

MacLeod had known Methos long enough to figure out what was causing his friends' anger and defensiveness. "You were in love with him." 

"I left him! Fox is smart, too fucking smart. He got his bosses to let him work on some unsolved cases that were labeled X-Files. X-Files dealt with the unexplained. Duncan, I couldn't chance him finding out about me, us, immortals. He would have if I had stuck around." 

MacLeod knew that was an excuse, Fox Mulder had gotten too close to the heart Methos denied having. "How do you know he's going to be in D.C.?" 

"If he's with Special Agent John Doggett, then they'll be at his partner's funeral on Thursday. If not, it's the best place to start my hunt for him." 

MacLeod followed Methos into the elevator. "If you don't think he's an immortal why do you want to find him?" 

"I need to find out what happened to him. Why he's no longer with the FBI...Fox was obsessed with his work. He wouldn't have quit before finding out what happened to his sister." 

"You still care about him?" 

Methos shrugged. "Well, I had my cock up his ass for two years, it's hard not to care." 

* * *

Monica Reyes Funeral  
Thursday, December 6, 2001  
1:00 p.m. 

The silence when Mulder and Doggett entered the church was deafening as all heads turned to look at them. Both men were dressed in black suits with polished black dress shoes, and overcoats. Mulder had the sleeves altered in Doggett's suit coat to fit over his casts. The overcoat was draped over his shoulders and pinned. 

Mulder glanced worriedly at Doggett; he'd refused to take his painkillers this morning. He said his arms no longer hurt. When they were coming into the church Doggett seemed to have felt some pain, he had winced and complained of a weird buzzing in his head. 

D.D. Kersh walked over to greet them. "Agent Doggett, you have my sympathy over Agent Reyes' death. She was an exceptional agent. How are you doing?" 

"Fine, sir." 

"A.D. Skinner mentioned you were staying with a friend, but he neglected to say who it was," Kersh said as he turned his attention to Mulder. 

"I'd like a word with you after the service, Mulder." 

"So would all of the reporters hanging around outside the church," Mulder said. His attention turned to Scully and Skinner as they crossed the church toward them. Scully held William while Skinner stayed protectively at her side. 

"Mulder, John, we saved seats up front for you. Next to Agent Reyes' parents," Skinner said. 

"Thank you, Walter." Mulder kissed Scully's cheek. "Hi, Scully." He brushed the baby's cheek with the back of his finger. He would have liked to talk to Scully, but this wasn't the time or the place. 

"Mulder, you're looking good," she said, as she took in his smoothed tanned skin. He looked healthier than he had when he was her partner. Scully turned to Doggett. "John, I'm so sorry about Monica. I wish I could have been there for you." She hugged him awkwardly, careful of the casts and her baby. 

"Thanks, Dana." 

Skinner led them to the front of the church. 

Doggett paused to talk to Reyes' parents. 

"Our daughter only had the nicest things to say about you, John," Mrs. Reyes said. 

"Monica was a good friend and agent. She had a premonition that she wouldn't survive this case. She asked me to see that her ashes are spread over the Gulf of Mexico." 

"Monica loved this country and Mexico, it doesn't surprise me that she'd want her final resting place to be in the waters between the two countries," Mr. Reyes said. "My wife and I will leave you to take care of our daughter's final wish." 

"Thank you, sir." 

They took their seats and waited for the service to begin. The church was filled with hundreds of agents and law enforcement officers. Kersh intentionally sat next to Mulder; he wasn't about to let him get away before they could talk. Doggett sat on the other side of Mulder next to Scully, with Skinner on the other side of her. 

Doggett's eyes fell on the urn on the table in front of the altar. Sadness filled his heart as he wondered again if there was anything that he could have done to save her. Mulder's hand on his leg pulled his attention off the urn, he turned and looked at him. 

"John, there was nothing you could have done, be strong for her." 

* * *

Outside, across the street from the church, away from the cameras and reporters, Methos and MacLeod stood and waited. They had their long coats on to protect them against the cold winter air and to conceal their swords. 

MacLeod stared at the church doors. "It isn't strong enough to come from an immortal, but it's too strong to be a pre-immortal. What do you make of it?" 

"I've felt that type of buzz only once before," Methos said, frowning. 

"And?" 

"It was from an immortal who was brought back to life by a witch before he could fully complete the change. He was still an immortal, but he wasn't able to heal as fast." 

"What happened to him?" 

Methos shrugged. "I took his head." 

"Figures," MacLeod muttered. 

"Hey, it was over two-thousand years ago." 

"So do you think your former lover is an immortal?" 

"No, it wasn't Fox, it was the man that was with him, Agent Doggett." Methos had been near enough to them that he could detect who the immortal was. "You notice the casts? If this John Doggett was a full immortal his arms would have healed before he reached the hospital." 

"Do you think he knows what he is?" 

"I don't think so. I wonder how long it's been since he changed?" 

MacLeod watched the reporters and cameramen. "How will we get to them?" 

"We stay here, I'll try to make eye contact with Fox. When I do we can leave, he'll know where to meet me." 

"Do you think he'll want to?" 

"Yes. If for no other reason than to punch me in the mouth." 

MacLeod grinned. "This trip is looking up." 

* * *

Kersh pulled Mulder aside after the service. Mulder went willingly, he wanted to give Doggett some space to talk to his friends. There were a large number of them that wanted to pay their condolences to him. 

"You're not to talk to reporters!" Kersh growled the moment he and Mulder were out of hearing of the others. 

"I don't work for you or the FBI any longer. You can't tell me what to do." 

"If you talk to them Agent Scully will pay the price." 

Mulder clenched his teeth and snarled, "Are you threatening Scully's life?" 

Kersh wasn't deterred. "She's expendable. Her only use now is to keep you in line." 

"Why don't they just kill me? It's not like they couldn't have done that over the last six months." 

"You're still important to their plans." 

Mulder belly clenched in fear over the prospect of being back in the alien's hands. "And Scully isn't?" 

"No, her usefulness ended with the birth of your son." 

"He's not my son." 

"He's your biological son; however, William is not Scully's biological son." Kersh had found out all about Scully's miraculous pregnancy from his contacts within the remaining members of the consortium. 

Mulder didn't like this. It made it harder for him to let William go if what Kersh said was true. He decided to look into it further; he needed to know the truth if he was going to protect them. Mulder pulled a small tape recorder out of his pocket. He rewound it and played Kersh's words back to him. He watched as Kersh realized he'd placed himself in jeopardy. Mulder decided to spell out the power the tape gave him. "Threatening the life of one of your agents can get you thrown out of the bureau and prosecuted. Anything happens to Scully or _her_ son, you're going down." 

Kersh glared at him. "You have her life in your hands, Mulder. Just go back into hiding and don't talk to the media." 

"This isn't over, Kersh. One of these days you and everyone that collaborated with the aliens will be brought to justice!" Mulder turned and headed back into the church from the vestibule, while Kersh left through the side exit. 

Most of the mourners had departed. Skinner and Scully were with Doggett along with the priest who was holding the urn wrapped in a velvet bag. 

"John, we should get going. We need to make it through the horde of reporters out front," Mulder said wearily. He passed Skinner the small tape recorder. His former boss pocketed it without comment. 

"Scully, I wish I had more time to spend with you and William...but it's not safe." 

"I understand, Mulder. I want my son to have a normal life, I'm thinking about leaving the FBI and going into private practice. Maybe move out to San Diego to be close to Bill and his family. I'm hoping my mom would want to join us there." 

"That's a good idea." Mulder kissed her on the forehead. The further away from Washington D.C., the FBI, and the conspiracy the safer she and William would be. 

Mulder shook Skinner's hand. "Bye, Walter. My offer still stands." 

"I'll keep it in mind, Mulder." 

"Fox, can you take the urn from Father Davis?" Doggett said. 

"Sure, John." 

"Monica wanted her ashes sprinkled over the Gulf of Mexico. Do you think Jack will fly us?" 

"Yeah." 

Doggett said his good byes to Scully and Skinner then he walked with Mulder to the exit. 

"How are your arms?" Mulder asked as he held the urn protectively cradled against his chest. 

"Fine. Like I said this morning, they no longer hurt." 

"John, I think we should see the doctor when we get home." 

"Why?" 

"I think your arms might have healed." 

"You're cracked!" Doggett snapped then stopped talking as they walked out of the church to the shouts and a crush of reporters. 

"No comment," Mulder said to each question as he pushed their way through to the rental car waiting for them at the curb. Jack was standing next to it with the door open. 

Doggett climbed into the backseat then realized that Mulder had stopped dead in his tracks and was staring across the street. He looked out the car window in that direction and saw two men in long coats both men then turned and walked up the street, got into a car, and drove off. 

"Fox?" Doggett said. The reporters were still shouting questions at them. 

"Jack, get us out of here." Mulder slid into the backseat next to Doggett and placed the urn on the seat between them. 

"Fox, who are those men?" Doggett feared they might be hired assassins. 

"The slim one with short hair is my old boyfriend." 

Doggett frowned. "Adam?" 

"Yeah, Adam Pierson. Jack, drive us over to O'Hara's pub on Ninth Street. Let's see what he wants." 

Doggett looked over at Mulder. His friend's face was drawn and he could feel the tension seeping off him. "Fox, let's just go to the airport. You don't need to see this man." 

"John, I need to find out what he wants." 

"He left you without even a word, you don't owe him anything." Doggett didn't want Mulder to be anywhere near the man he once loved, not when Doggett was starting to feel something much deeper than wanton lust for Mulder. 

"I'm not going back to him even if he wants me back which I doubt. Adam wouldn't show up here unless he has something important to tell me. He's not here because of some sentimental need to see me again. That's just not the man I lived with for two years." 

"What about you, Fox, you said that you loved him. How is seeing him again going to affect you?" 

Mulder ran his hand over the sleeve of Doggett's suit coat, feeling the hard cast beneath. "My heart belongs to another." 

The way Mulder looked into his eyes, it was quite clear who his heart belonged to. "How could you be? We haven't known each other that long and haven't even had sex." 

"So blowjobs don't count as sex? How Bill Clinton of you," Mulder quipped, then turned serious. "John, you're down to Earth and comfortable to be around. Adam was brilliant and fun but he always kept me at arm's length. When he left me, I realized that I still didn't know anything about him. Not where he grew up, who his parents were, nor if he had any brothers or sisters." 

Doggett sighed with relief. "I wasn't sure just what I meant to you." 

"I want you, John, isn't that obvious? I don't just suck anyone's dick." 

Doggett smiled. He wasn't to the point where he felt comfortable telling Mulder the feeling was mutual, so instead he said, "You have a smutty mind, Fox." 

"I know." Mulder smirked. "And you haven't even seen a fraction of how smutty I can be." 

"I'm looking forward to finding out," Doggett said as Jack parked the car across the street from O'Hara's. 

"Mulder, do you want me to wait here or go inside with you?" Jack asked. 

"Wait here, Jack, and watch the car. We shouldn't be too long." 

Mulder waited for Doggett to climb out of the car. Then he closed the door. They walked across the street to the pub. 

Doggett flinched. "Fuck." 

"What's wrong?" 

"It's that weird buzzing again. Can't you hear it?" 

"No." 

Doggett tried to ignore the buzzing as Mulder held the door open for him. Soon the buzzing faded into the background. 

The interior of the old neighborhood pub was dark and smoky. Mulder's eyes fell on his ex-lover who was sitting at a table with another man in the corner. The two men stood as they approached. 

"Fox, long time," Pierson said. 

"Adam, you're looking good," Mulder replied as he looked intensely at his former lover. "You haven't changed at all in ten years." 

"You have. You've gotten even better looking," Pierson said as he admired his former lover. Gone was the lanky young man with the boyish good looks. Before him stood a strikingly handsome man with a more powerful build and an aura of self-assuredness. "You've been working out?" 

"I've taken boxing lessons, it's a great stress reliever." Mulder turned to Doggett. "John, this is Adam Pierson. Adam, this is my friend Special Agent John Doggett, he's taken over the X-Files." 

"Agent Doggett, it's a pleasure to meet you. My companion, Duncan MacLeod. Mac operates a dojo in Seacouver." 

The barmaid walked over as the four men took their seats around the table. "What can I get ya?" 

"Four tall Guinnesses." Methos looked over at Doggett and smiled. "And one with a straw." The barmaid left to get their drinks. "I hope you don't mind my ordering for us. This place has the best Guinness on tap in the country." 

"Adam, what do you want?" Mulder asked. 

Pierson nodded at Doggett, he decided to be direct. Even if Fox and Doggett would have no idea what he was telling them. "Your friend, Fox, is an immortal." 

Doggett glared at Pierson as he became the subject of all three men's attention. "What do you mean by immortal?" he growled. 

"You can't die unless someone cuts off your head. You're not going to age beyond the age you are right now." 

"What a load of crap!" Doggett looked over at Mulder. "You didn't tell me your former lover was a nutcase." 

Mulder was quiet for several moments as he looked between Pierson and MacLeod. Then he turned to face Doggett. "There are dozens of cases of murder by decapitation in the X-Files. Most of the deaths, where the body was found soon after the victims were decapitated, the witnesses reported a freak lightning show in the vicinity where they discovered the body." 

"Go on, Fox, you know more than you're telling," Doggett said. He remembered reading those cases and the coroners' reports that stated all of the victims were unusually healthy before their death. 

The barmaid returned with their drinks and set a mug in front of each man. 

"These immortals are fighting and killing each other for a reason. For some sort of final prize that the last surviving immortal will claim." Mulder looked across the table at his former lover. "How old are you, Adam?" 

"I told you he was smart, Mac," Pierson said. "I'm old, Fox." 

Mulder nodded, understanding. "The stories you told me about ancient Greece weren't learned from books but by first hand experience." 

Pierson smiled at him. 

Doggett shook his head. "Fox, you're not saying that you believe these men?" 

"John, I believe your arms are healed. If they are, it will prove that what they're telling us is the truth." 

"That's impossible! Fox, no one's bones mend in four days." 

MacLeod spoke for the first time. "I've had broken bones that mended in less than an hour. Agent Doggett, you became an immortal when you died, Adam thinks your first death was interfered with and you didn't change completely that's why you're not able to heal as fast as a normal immortal." 

"Jesus, what a load of horse shit! Come on, Fox, let's go, I've heard enough!" Doggett said as he stood. 

"Sit down, John," Mulder said firmly. "I know you died while looking into a case I had been investigating shortly before my abduction. You thought I killed someone in cold blood. During that case you were shot in the back and killed by Sheriff Frey. The soul eater brought you back to life, taking your death into himself." 

"How did you know about that?" Doggett asked. The only one who knew was Skinner, he never wrote a report into his investigation in Pennsylvania. Doggett remembered the hallucination in the basement office after Skinner had left, where he thought he saw Mulder standing in the shadows. He now wondered if that really had been only a hallucination. 

"I just do," Mulder said. "Adam, what's going to happen to John?" 

"He needs to learn how to defend himself. Eventually he's going to run into an immortal set on taking his head." 

"How do immortals recognize each other?" 

"We hear a buzz in our heads when we're near another immortal." 

Mulder looked smugly at Doggett who sighed and took a sip of the beer through the straw. "Okay, Adam, how does he protect himself? I'm guessing part of it involves learning to use a sword." 

"MacLeod will teach him, if John's willing," Pierson said. 

Doggett thought they were all cracked. One thing he didn't want was for this Adam Pierson to be interfering in his and Mulder's life. "Fox, I think I've heard enough of this BS." He stood and walked over to the closed bar door and glared at it. 

Mulder took out a piece of paper and scribbled his address on it, he said quietly, "Adam, I don't want to lose him, I'll talk John into letting MacLeod teach him to defend himself." 

Pierson read the address. "We'll meet you down in Texas in a few days. Hopefully that will give you enough time to convince him." 

Mulder nodded and walked away from the table. He opened the door for Doggett and they walked outside. 

* * *

"You really are amazing," MacLeod said as he picked up the mug of Guinness. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You sack up with probably the only FBI agent who would believe in the existence of immortals. Do you know how dangerous he could have been to us?" 

Methos smiled. "Fox was curious about a lot of things. It was one of his charms." He looked toward the door as he sipped the beer. "He did look damn good, didn't he?" 

"Methos, you aren't planning on reviving your relationship with him?" 

"It will give me something to do while you teach Agent Doggett how to defend himself." 

"I'd keep it in your pants if I were you. You didn't miss the way Fox and John looked at each other." 

"Oh come on, MacLeod, John Doggett isn't Fox's type. He's too close-minded and straight." 

"I'm not going to save your ass this time." 

Methos leaned back in his chair and his face turned thoughtful. "We still need to find out about how Fox survived for three months buried alive. And I don't like this talk about aliens. Just what has Fox gotten himself involved with?" 

"Do you believe in aliens?" 

"Yes. I've seen some weird shit over the millenniums. Objects flying in the sky thousands of years ago that we thought were Gods. Immortals aren't the strangest life form walking on this planet." 

* * *

Amarillo Medical Clinic  
Friday, December 7, 2001  
1:00 p.m. 

"This is remarkable," Doctor Quinn said as he examined the x-rays. "Your bones have completely mended. Are you sure it's only been five days?" 

Langly had hooked them up with Doctor Quinn. The Doctor didn't report all of his cases if the right amount of cash changed hands. The clinic was only a four-hour drive from the ranch. 

"Yep. Then the casts can come off?" Doggett asked. He still wasn't sure that he'd heard the Doctor correctly. 

"Yes. Let me get the saw and I'll remove them." The Doctor left the room. 

"Fox, you're not gloating." Doggett looked at Mulder leaning against the examination table. "You were right and I was wrong, aren't you going to rub it in?" 

"I didn't want to be right." Mulder expression was sad. "There are other immortals that are going to want to kill you. Besides, now you'll be going back to D.C." 

"No, not until I learn how to defend myself. When is MacLeod arriving at the ranch?" 

Mulder couldn't help but smile over the temporary relief he felt. "Tomorrow, he's coming with Adam." 

"Okay, we'll put them up in the bunkhouse." 

"They can sleep in the guest bedrooms." 

The Doctor came back into the room. It only took him a few minutes to remove both casts. Doggett sighed with relief as he flexed and moved his arms. He stood, grabbed Mulder by the wrists, and pulled him into his arms and kissed him passionately. 

Doggett chuckled when he ended the kiss at the stunned expression on Mulder's face. "I've been wanting to get my arms around you for days." 

Doctor Quinn cleared his throat as he looked at them in disgust. "If you're done, you're free to go. You can pay my assistant, unless you want your medical plan billed." 

"No. We'd rather not have the FBI know that my arms are mended." Doggett turned to Mulder. "Give me the car keys, Fox, I'm driving." 

Mulder tossed Doggett the keys feeling better knowing he'd have the man with him for at least a few more weeks. 

* * *

It was after six o'clock at night when they arrived back at the ranch. The sun had already set. Mulder counted three more campers out in the field as Doggett steered the pickup truck up the long driveway and parked it in the garage. 

"I'm hungry," Doggett said. "Come on, I'll make you dinner for once." 

"You can cook?" 

"I can cook a little bit, nothing fancy." 

"It's a good thing then that I have mainly prepackaged food." 

Doggett opened the kitchen cabinet and pulled out a jar of red pasta sauce. "How about spaghetti?" 

"Sure, that sounds good. There's some Parmesan cheese in the refrigerator." 

"Do you have any wine?" Doggett asked as he filled a tall pasta pot with water and placed it on the range. 

"There's a wine cellar in the basement. I'll run down and bring up bottle. Mr. Cody had quite the collection." 

"Don't take too long," Doggett said as he watched Mulder open the door to the basement and head down. He hadn't explored down there yet. Mulder had been worried about him trying to climb down those steep steps with his arms in casts. Now that he had those casts off he planned to do a lot of exploring and not just of the ranch, one former FBI agent needed a thorough exploration of every crack and crevice. 

Mulder came back into the kitchen as Doggett was putting the spaghetti into the boiling water. "I found a nice Merlot." He started digging around the drawers for a corkscrew when he was grabbed from behind. 

Doggett kissed the side of Mulder's throat. "I want to make love to you, Fox. I want to fuck you, but I've never had anal sex with another man." 

"Have you had anal sex with a woman?" Mulder leaned back in his arms. It had been too long since he'd been fucked, his whole body burned to feel that sweet intimacy again. 

"Yeah, a couple of times." 

"Then you shouldn't have a problem." 

"What does it feel like?" 

"It's hard to describe, its extremely pleasurable if you have the right lover. In a lot of ways being fucked feels better than fucking." 

Doggett hugged Mulder tighter and breathed in his scent. "I'd like to experience that someday." 

"When you're ready, I'd love to be your first." 

"You'll be my only, Fox." Doggett promised as he let go of Mulder so he could check the pasta. 

Mulder's mind was awhirl, and his stomach was doing excited flips as he found the corkscrew and uncorked the bottle. He pulled two wineglasses out of the cupboard. He no longer had an appetite for food. He was hungry for something better that had steely blue eyes. 

They ate in the small breakfast area. Neither could take their eyes off the other and hardly tasted the pasta. 

"Fox, you really don't still have feelings for Pierson, do you?" 

"I...." Mulder frowned. "I don't want him back as a lover, but I will always have feelings for him. I hope that doesn't bother you." 

"No. I just didn't want to have to beat the crap out of him." 

Mulder chuckled. "You'd fight over me?" 

"Yeah. If I had to I would." 

"Well, you don't have to. Shall we finish our glasses of wine in the bathtub?" Mulder asked as he carried his plate over to the sink and set it inside. 

"You start the bath, while I clean up in here." Doggett carried his plate over to the sink, rinsed it, and place it in the dishwasher. 

Mulder had the bathtub filled, candles lit, and their wineglasses setting on the ledge by the time Doggett came into the bathroom. Mulder was also naked. This was the first time Doggett had seen Mulder in the buff and he really liked what he saw. Mulder had a nice large cock and low-riding balls. The skin of his beautiful round ass was pale against his deeply tanned torso and legs. 

"Are you going to stand there drooling or get undressed and join me?" Mulder asked as he stepped into the bathtub and sank down into the fragrant water. He had added bath oil to the water. 

Doggett quickly stripped, he caught a glimpse of himself in the full-length mirror. His arms were a sickly white while his hands were tanned along with his shoulders and chest. Two days sitting outside by the pool was a bit too much. Mulder had finished cleaning the pool on Wednesday and was going to fill it with chlorine-treated water tomorrow. They'd be able to swim in it on Sunday. Doggett smiled as he sank down in the water next to Mulder. This was going to be one of his best vacations in a long time. He just needed to decide whether he wanted to go back to the FBI. 

Mulder picked up a soapy washcloth and ran it over Doggett's arm. "Have I told you how much I love your body?" 

"No. Tell me." 

Mulder turned in the bathtub until he was straddling Doggett's thighs. "You have nice nipples for a man," he said as he rubbed his thumbs over Doggett's nipples and watched as they became hard with arousal. He leaned down and licked one before taking the firm nub in his mouth and sucking on it. Doggett moaned and Mulder felt his cock harden as he moved on to the other nipple. He continued to suck and nip the nipples in turn before pulling away and placing his hands on the sides of Doggett's head. "I love your eyes, they're the color of a cool ocean on a hot day. I could drown in them." He leaned down and kissed him, lingeringly on his mouth. 

Doggett's fingers clenched Mulder's buttocks as he moaned against his lips. "What else do you like?" 

"The annoyed way you look at me when I say something you don't believe. It's such a cute expression." Mulder chuckled as his hand traveled down Doggett's chest to his groin. He stroked the hard organ. "This is particularly nice. I like men large but not too large. Yours is perfect, it fits so nicely in my mouth...down my throat." Mulder licked behind Doggett's ear and whispered huskily, "I could suck you for hours and never get tired." 

Doggett's cock grew even harder. He could come just by Mulder's seductive words. 

"John, I love your fingers and what they're currently doing," Mulder purred as he pushed back on the finger that had found it's way up his anus. 

Doggett chuckled. "You're hot, Fox, inside and out." He slipped a second finger inside as he stretched his lover. The bath oil provided enough slickness to ease the way for his fingers. He was determined that they were not getting out of this bathtub until he got his rocks off inside of his lover. He'd been fantasizing about this for too long. "I'm clean, Fox. I want to do you without a piece of rubber between us." 

"You're an immortal. Even if I weren't clean, it wouldn't harm you." 

"That is going to take some getting used to." 

"Hopefully, you'll have hundreds of years, if you don't lose your head." 

Doggett frowned. "I don't particularly like the idea of living forever. Not if I will lose you," he said as he caressed the side of Mulder's face. 

"Who says, I'm going to die?" 

"You're not an immortal--" 

"I'm not human." Mulder leaned down and licked across Doggett's mouth. "Enough talking. Are you going to fuck me or not?" 

"Lean up against the side of the tub and spread your knees apart," Doggett ordered as he pulled his fingers out of Mulder's ass. He was nervous and excited as he climbed to his knees and moved behind Mulder's body. 

Mulder looked into the mirror across from them and watched John as he positioned himself behind his body. Mulder felt the head of his lover's cock pressing against his anus. He pushed back wanting it inside of him. It was painful at first as the large head entered him. It'd been too long since he'd been fucked. 

Doggett held still until Mulder relaxed then he pushed more of his shaft up the tight passage. He gripped Mulder's hips and watched as his cock disappeared inside his lover. This had to be one of the most erotic sights he'd ever beheld. When he was buried up to his balls he laid himself over Mulder's back, enjoying their closeness...this was one of the greatest of intimacies that two humans could share. "Fox, I think I might be falling in love with you," he said softly as he kissed the side of Mulder's mouth. 

Mulder smiled. He'd wanted someone for so long that it filled him happiness to have finally found his soul mate. "I'm already in love with you. We were meant to be together." 

Doggett planted a wet kiss on the center of his neck, then pulled back, and slowly started thrusting in and out him. He enjoyed the way Mulder's body clenched and held his shaft. It sent waves of pleasure throughout his body. The water in the bathtub sloshed each time he rocked his hips forward, thrusting into his lover. This was perfect. He didn't want it to end. Then he felt his cock squeezed in an iron grip as Mulder came. When he felt his own release building, he pushed in as far as he could and came explosively. 

When he came back to full awareness Fox was giggling. 

"My performance wasn't that bad, was it?" 

"No. You were very good...excellent in fact. I was just looking at us in the mirror and the image of two frogs fucking came to mind." 

Doggett turned his head and looked across the room into the full-length mirror. He chuckled. "I see what you mean." He raised himself off Mulder's back and pulled out, he stood and helped his lover to his feet. 

Mulder hugged Doggett affectionately. "Thanks." 

"I'm the one who should be thanking you." Doggett kissed Mulder tenderly on the lips while returning the embrace. Then he rested his chin on Mulder's shoulder, enjoying the hard muscular body in his arms and the man it belonged to. This was something he never would have believed possible a year ago, that he'd fall in love with another man, let alone, Fox Mulder. 

When they ended their embrace, Mulder picked up a washcloth and washed off the come dripping down his thighs as Doggett stepped out of the bathtub and grabbed a towel. 

"Do you want to watch TV while snuggling in bed?" Mulder asked as he climbed out onto a bathmat. 

"Sure, but I get to hold the remote." Doggett hung the wet towel on the towel rack to dry and then he picked up their glasses of wine. He sipped his while waiting for Fox to dry himself. Then he handed Fox a wineglass and held up his. "Fox, I'm not usually sentimental, but I'd like to toast our new relationship. May we find happiness together for years to come." 

Mulder smiled as they clicked glasses, he finally found his one true love, and he was going to do everything in his power to make John happy. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Saturday, December 8, 2001  
7:00 a.m. 

As Doggett drifted up from sleep, feelings of love and contentment encompassed his entire being. He was draped on top of his lover whose arms were wrapped securely around him. Doggett had never been one who needed another person to feel safe, but the feeling of security that Fox invoked in him made their connection all the more important to him. He felt safe in Fox's arms. Fox would watch out for him and he'd watch out for Fox. Strange how falling in love could change a man. 

It was still dark outside, so he snuggled closer against his lover's warm body, while enjoying his male scent. If he could wake up like this every morning he'd be the happiest man on Earth. 

"John, you awake?" Mulder's sleep husky voice murmured. 

"Yeah." Doggett lifted his head off Mulder's chest so he could look up at his lover's face. 

"This is nice." 

"What is?" 

"Waking up with you." 

"Ditto." Doggett planted a kiss on Mulder's chest then laid his head back down, feeling the gentle rise and fall beneath his head with each breath Mulder took. He ran his hand up and down Mulder's side, enjoying the play of taut muscles under his fingertips. One thing was for sure Mulder was nicely put together. Doggett had his work cut out to get into as good of shape. He'd been working too hard on cases these past months that he hadn't had enough time to hit the gym. His fingers grazed over Mulder's erect penis, he grasped it and started stroking. 

"Oooh," Mulder moaned as his hips rocked in a fucking motion. 

Doggett smiled, and continued jerking Mulder off until he felt the velvety organ swell and semen spurted over his fist. Mulder was breathing heavily as Doggett raised himself on his elbows and kissed his sweet mouth. "I'm going to grab a quick shower, do you want to join me?" 

"Give me a few more minutes of sleep." Mulder yawned fully sated he rolled on his side closing his eyes. 

Doggett smiled at him then got out of bed. The room was dark as he made his way to the bathroom and flipped on the light switch. He closed the door so the light and the sound of the shower wouldn't disturb Fox. 

He turned on the faucet in the shower and waited until the water was warm enough before stepping inside. The shower could stand a good cleaning. The grout and tile was covered with soap scum and there was even some mold near the bottom. He'd clean it this afternoon. 

Doggett contemplated his future as he showered. If he quit the FBI and stayed here with Mulder what would he do for a living? He couldn't picture himself hunting aliens; that was part of Mulder's delusional fantasy. This ranch was huge maybe he could try his hand at raising cattle and farming. He grew up on a farm but it was a far cry from a cattle ranch. He'd have to talk to Randy about what was involved in raising a few hundred heads of cattle. Doggett smiled as he rinsed the soap off his body, picturing himself riding a horse and rounding up cattle. It'd been years since he rode a horse. 

Mulder was soundly sleeping when he walked back into the bedroom. Doggett found his jeans by the light coming from the open bathroom doorway and pulled them on along with a T-shirt. Then he turned off the bathroom light and walked out of the bedroom, down the hall, and into the kitchen. 

There was a lot he wanted to do today, now that he no longer had the casts impeding him. He paused and looked at the urn sitting on the hallway table. Tomorrow Jack was going to fly them to the Gulf of Mexico and he'd be able to sprinkle Monica's ashes into the water. 

The sun was coming up by the time Doggett had finished his first mug of coffee. He was at the stove making breakfast when Mulder walked into the room dressed in knee-length canvas shorts, a muscle shirt, and sandals. 

"Morning," Mulder said as he walked over to Doggett, wrapping his arms round his waist from behind. 

"Hey, sleepy head." Doggett turned his head and kissed Mulder on the lips. 

"Mm, what are you making?" 

"I found a can of corned beef hash in the cupboard, I'm making it with eggs." Doggett used a spoon to make four deep wells into the hash into each he cracked an egg then he put a cover on the pan to allow the eggs to steam. 

"Nice trick," Mulder said. 

"My Pa used to make hash and eggs this way, except his hash didn't come out of a can. Do you want to put some toast on? There's a fresh pot of coffee." 

"Sure, John." Mulder filled a mug with coffee before pulling a loaf of bread out of the breadbox. "Tell me about your Pa?" Mulder asked as he put a couple of slices of bread into the toaster. 

"He was a widower. My Mom died when I was two, he raised me and my three older brothers and sister...." Doggett winced as he felt that buzzing in his head again. 

"John, is something wrong?" 

"It's that weird buzzing again." 

The doorbell rang. Then there was the sound of the door opening. 

"Hey, Fox, are you home?" a voice called from the foyer. 

Mulder sighed as he heard his ex-lover's voice. "I'll be right back, John. Maybe you should dig out another can of hash from the cupboard. It looks like we have guests for breakfast." 

Doggett opened the cupboard as Mulder left the kitchen a few seconds later he heard Mulder's voice in the foyer. 

"Adam, Mr. MacLeod, you're early." 

"The only flight we could get was a redeye. We spent the last three hours driving down from the airport to your place. Mm, something smells good," Pierson said. 

"Let me show you to your rooms then we can have breakfast." 

Mulder lead them down a hallway to the guestrooms with an adjoining bathroom. Each had a door leading outside to the covered patio. 

"Nice place you have here, Mr. Mulder," MacLeod said. 

"I like it, call me Mulder." 

"Where's the nearest pub?" Pierson asked. 

"It's forty-five miles north of here. Don't worry, Adam, I have a case of beer in the fridge." 

Pierson chuckled. "Fox, if you didn't hate me, I'd kiss you." 

"How's Agent Doggett doing?" MacLeod asked. 

Mulder pulled his eyes off Pierson's face and looked at MacLeod. "You can ask him yourself, he's fixing breakfast." 

"Fox, can we talk in private after breakfast?" Pierson asked. 

"I suppose," Mulder said hesitantly. He was worried about being alone with his former lover. Not that he wanted him back as a lover, but they had been very close at one time. 

Doggett was scooping up two plates with hash, eggs, and toast as they entered the kitchen. He had opened another can of hash that was sitting on the counter. 

"Mm, that smells good, Agent Doggett," MacLeod said. 

"You can call me John. Sit down, you and Pierson can eat first." 

"John, why don't you and MacLeod eat first? You can discuss your training with him, I need to talk to Adam," Mulder said. 

Doggett glared at Pierson then turned to Mulder and brazenly kissed him in front of the other two men. 

MacLeod chuckled at the expression on Pierson's face as he picked up the two plates of food and carried them to the table. "John, I'm going to enjoy teaching you how to use a sword. You'll never know when you might want to take another immortal's head." He smirked at Methos. 

Pierson gave him the finger. 

Mulder licked his lips and smiled at Doggett. He then picked up the can of hash and dumped its contents into the hot skillet while Doggett went to join MacLeod at the table. 

Pierson grabbed the spatula. "Fox, let me do that, you never were a very good cook." 

Mulder grabbed the spatula back. "I can cook just fine. Why don't you get yourself and Mac some coffee?" 

"Touchy." Pierson smiled as he admired his former lover's body. The outfit Mulder was wearing exposed a lot of skin. He almost forgot what nice legs and feet Mulder had for a man. 

"Hey, old man, coffee," MacLeod said, trying to pull his friend's attention off Mulder when he noticed Doggett's eyes narrow and the firm set of his jaw. Doggett may be tough but he wouldn't stand a chance of knocking Methos on his ass without a lot of training. 

"Hang on, Boy Scout." Methos reluctantly pulled his eyes off Mulder's ass and searched the cabinets for the coffee mugs. 

Mulder was clueless about what was going on behind him. He stirred the hash then followed Doggett's technique for cooking the eggs with them. His stomach growled. Sex always made him hungry. While the eggs cooked Mulder put bread in the toaster. The butter, jam, and catsup were on the table. He glanced at Doggett. His new lover was keeping an eye on him in the kitchen as he listened to MacLeod. MacLeod's plate was almost empty...John had hardly touched his food. 

Pierson set two plates on the counter then scooped up the cooked eggs and hash onto them. "Do you remember when I made you breakfast in bed for your thirtieth birthday?" 

Mulder snorted. "Yeah. It was a week before you left me." 

"Fox, I couldn't stay." 

"Nice note you left me. 'I can't do this, Fox. Sorry.' I was in love with you and you didn't even have the decency to tell me to my face." 

"I couldn't, Fox. I just couldn't face hurting you in person." 

Mulder placed the toast on the plates. "It's history now, Adam. A lot has happened to me since you left. I'm no longer the same man." He carried the plates over to the table. 

Pierson sat next to MacLeod while Mulder took the chair between him and Doggett. 

"What happened to you, Fox?" 

Mulder shook his head as he picked up his fork. "Too much to go into over breakfast." 

"He doesn't owe you any answers," Doggett said. 

"I'm concerned about him...we've seen the news stories about Fox being buried alive for three months. There's a whole crowd of people camped outside your front door. Who are those people?" 

"Alien abductees," Mulder said. 

MacLeod had finished eating, and he looked at Mulder. "Why are they here?" 

"I don't know. They just started showing up after I moved in." 

"There was a story in the Washington Post that you were allegedly abducted by aliens. Is there any truth in that story?" MacLeod asked. 

"No," Doggett said. 

"Yes." Mulder smiled at Doggett, he found his stubbornness to even consider that there was such a thing as aliens amusing. He wanted to be there when John encountered his first UFO. 

"You don't believe in aliens, John?" MacLeod asked. 

"No, I don't. Men were behind Fox's abduction." 

"But you believe that you're an immortal." 

"I still have my doubts, but I haven't been able to find another explanation for why my arms healed so quickly." 

Pierson chuckled. "That wasn't quickly, John Boy." He picked up a knife and cut open the palm of his hand. Doggett and Mulder watched as a crackling blue energy sealed the cut almost instantly. Pierson played with the knife as he looked Doggett in the eyes. "I wonder if you died again if it would fix what that soul-eater did to you." 

Mulder glared at Pierson as he placed his hand on Doggett's arm. "You can forget about it, Adam." 

MacLeod stood. "I'm going to grab a few hours of sleep. John, we can start on your training this afternoon." It had been over twenty-four hours since MacLeod last slept. Unlike Methos who had slept on the plane then in the car on their three-hour car ride to get here. 

Doggett finished his breakfast but stayed at the table waiting for Mulder to finish eating not wanting to leave his lover alone with Pierson. He refilled their coffee mugs. 

* * *

FBI Hoover building  
Washington, D.C.  
Saturday, December 8, 2001  
11:00 a.m. 

Skinner finished reading and signing all of the reports in his inbox. He hated working Saturdays, it seemed he was putting in longer and longer hours lately. Most nights he didn't get home until after eight. In seven months he was going to turn fifty, the day after he planned to put in for early retirement. His decision was made after seeing Mulder on Thursday and realizing that John Doggett wasn't going to be coming back to the bureau. Although Doggett didn't say anything, Skinner couldn't help but notice how the two men looked at each other. Skinner wasn't gay, or bisexual for that matter, and seeing the two men together didn't bother him. When he joined them out in Texas it wouldn't be a problem for him if they were lovers. Mulder's offer gave him the hope that he'd be able to do something proactive to stop the aliens from invading the planet, instead of doing nothing. 

Thursday night, he had played the tape-recording Mulder had given him. He needed to convince Scully to leave the bureau and move to San Diego immediately. Not that she'd be that much safer there than here, but it would give them less of a reason to threaten Scully if she was no longer part of the bureau and on the other side of country. 

Skinner glanced up at the clock. At least he would be done before noon today. He'd have the afternoon to shop, then relax and catch up on his emails. He still owed one to his older sister from last week. 

* * *

Cody Ranch  
Saturday, December 8, 2001  
2:00 p.m. 

Doggett held a six-foot wooden pole in his hands while MacLeod taught him to fend off blows. Unfortunately he wasn't as quick as the Scotsman and had received several painful blows that were sure to leave bruises. He was having a hard time focusing; his mind was on Fox who was with Pierson. 

"John, you need to concentrate." 

Doggett sighed and shook his head. "Mac, I'm sorry it's impossible with your friend being with Fox." 

"You love Mulder, don't you?" 

Doggett shrugged, not ready to vocalize his feelings. 

"John, I doubt Mulder is going to go back with Adam." MacLeod leaned on the wooden pole his bare muscular chest glistened with sweat. "He has some unfinished business with my friend. Let them work it out, then Mulder and you can enjoy the rest of your lives together without Adam's shadow hanging over it." 

"It's hard, I don't want Fox to be hurt again. Mac, I was the one who found Fox's body in the woods. The wounds on his flesh were sickening. He'd been severely tortured over several months. He was dead. We found no pulse and his body was stone cold. We buried him in his family plot in North Carolina, next to his parents." Doggett closed his eyes at the memory. "Three months later, I tried to prevent my boss from having his body exhumed. I'll have to live with that, knowing that I was wrong...I just couldn't imagine someone being buried for three months still being alive." 

"Mulder doesn't seem to hold it against you." 

Doggett smiled sadly. "Fox has a different way of looking at life." 

MacLeod looked at the man leaning up against the wooden fence. "Meth--Adam says he saw UFOs centuries ago. I saw something strange in the sky only once and that was nearly two hundred years ago." 

"Do you think it was aliens?" 

"I don't know, but it could have been. How can you look up at the nighttime sky, at all of the stars in the heaven, and not ever wonder if one or more of them might not have a planet revolving around it with life similar to our own?" 

Doggett shrugged his shoulders. "I've considered the possibility, but it is still a bit more than I'm willing to believe without some solid evidence." 

"Come on, we've rested enough," MacLeod said as he took the fighting stance again. 

Doggett sighed and picked up the pole. Maybe he'd be able to convince Fox to give him a massage tonight. 

* * *

Pierson walked beside Mulder through the makeshift camp. There were sixty-four people in all, and Mulder talked to each of them in turn, including the children. He was quite concerned with them not being in school and living without a home. The families with children had taken up residence in the bunkhouse and were attempting to home-school them. Most of the people that showed up came alone. Several had RVs or campers on the back of pickup trucks. Mr. Cody had several trailer hookups complete with septic tanks on his property that had been used by migrant workers. 

"Mrs. Jacob, why don't you take your family home?" Mulder asked a woman with three boys the oldest thirteen. 

"I can't. We have to stay here. My sons' father was abducted four years ago. I know in my heart that you will get him back for us." 

"Don't place your hopes in me...I never was able to find my sister," Mulder sighed. "Mrs. Jacob, is there anything you need?" 

"A television set would be nice," one of the boys grumbled. 

"Mr. Mulder, would it be too much to ask if we could have a mobile home moved here? I'll pay all of the costs for hooking it up to electricity and the sewage line." 

Mulder looked at the woman then at her sons. "Okay, Mrs. Jacob. Let me check with Randy and find out the best place on the property for it." Mulder worried about the precedence he was setting by letting her and her sons have a more permanent home on the ranch. The abductees growing presence here was starting to worry Mulder. He had a suspicion on why they were coming there, but wasn't about to voice it just yet. 

When he and Pierson were on their way back to the main house his former lover turned to him. "That was quite generous." 

"This ranch has fifty thousand-acres. I can afford to give up a small part of it." 

"You're developing a following, Fox, what happened to you?" 

Mulder stopped and looked up at the bright blue sky. "This planet is on the brink of being invaded. I'm not sure how soon, only that it will be within this century. Members in our government have been collaborating with the aliens. Some to protect their own interests and families, others to find a way to stop them. My Dad was involved with the conspiracy before I was born...he worked in the state department. He was in charge of a secret program that experimented upon our own citizens trying to change them into alien hybrids. He dehumanized them by referring to them as merchandise." A tear ran down Mulder's cheek at the memory. 

"My Dad was the one who gave Samantha to them. Adam, I believe that I was taken several times when I was a child, but in the end my Dad decided to give them Samantha when it should have been me. I wish I could ask him why." Mulder looked down at his hands clenched into fists. "I was changed and never knew it. I became what I'd been looking for all these years. I'm not fully human...I now see and hear things that aren't a part of this world. Sometimes I wonder if I'm still a part of it." 

Pierson was saddened by his ex-lover's story. "Fox, I'm sorry. I wish I could have stayed in contact with you. Do you really believe this planet is in that great of a risk?" 

"Yes. These aliens have infiltrated our government, FBI, and military." A look of determination spread across Mulder's features. "I'm going to defeat them." 

"How?" Pierson looked at him with concern. During his five thousand years of life, he'd been in wars and seen thousands killed in a single battle. Now his former lover, without any military training, planned to take on a superior race of aliens on his own. 

"Adam, some things are beyond our understanding. I've never been much of a believer in God, but lately I've found myself realizing that there is a higher being involved." Mulder looked toward the campers in the field. He believed that God was providing him an army to fight them. 

Pierson followed Mulder into the house and to the kitchen. Mulder got a couple of beers out of the fridge and handed one to Pierson. "Adam, have you ever talked to the dead?" 

"You mean have I prayed?" 

"No, I mean have you ever had a conversation with them like we're having together?" 

"No. Are you saying that you speak to them?" 

Mulder took a sip of beer and changed the subject. "How old are you?" 

"Answer my question first." 

"Yes, I speak to them. Now how old are you?" 

Normally Methos wouldn't tell anyone who he was, but Mulder was different. He felt he owed his former lover some honesty. Besides, Mulder had already figured out most of it. "I'm the oldest. Five-thousand years old." 

Mulder whistled. "And you don't look a day over thirty." 

"And you look beautiful," Pierson said as he stepped into Mulder's personal space and attempted to kiss him. 

Mulder placed a hand on his former lover's chest, stopping him. "I loved you, Adam. I would have taken you back in a heartbeat if you'd shown up on my doorstep anytime over the last ten years. I still love you for what we had together, but I am _in_ love with John Doggett." Mulder turned and carried his beer out to the patio. 

He stood by the pool and watched his lover and MacLeod fight on the unused tennis court down the hill from the swimming pool. The tennis net had long since been removed. Both men had their shirts off and sweat glistened off their taut muscled bodies. Mulder flinched as MacLeod got in a hard blow to John's ribs. 

"He's not bad," Pierson said as he stepped up beside him. 

"How can you tell?" 

"He's got a lithe build and moves with grace. I've fought men that were large, muscular, and powerful but they lacked the grace of movement. They tried to overpower their smaller opponent and succeeded more times than not, but put them up against a trained warrior of John's build and the smaller more lithe fighter would almost always win. John has potential of being a very skilled fighter." 

Mulder touched the black stone arrowhead he wore around his neck on a piece of leather. He'd heard back from his friend, Doctor Chuck Burks, about the piece of black stone he'd sent him on Wednesday to analyze. Burks said it was magnetite. An idea came to Mulder as he watched John fight. 

"Adam, I'd like to get a sword made for John. Is there someone you could recommend?" 

"There are a lot of swords already made that you can purchase." 

"No. I'd like to have it made out of a particular type of ore." 

Pierson frowned as he wondered what Fox was up to. "In France there is an old immortal who makes and repairs swords. He's quite expensive." 

"I have money. How long would it take him?" 

"If you're willing to pay extra he could get it done in six months." 

"That long?" 

"You want quality, you have to wait for it." 

"Okay, can you get in contact with him for me? I'd like the sword blade made out of magnetite. If he can get a hold of the ore himself that would be the best, I'd like to keep my name out of this purchase. If not I know where I can get a whole lot of the ore." 

"Okay, Fox. What style of sword do you want?" 

"I don't know. What would you suggest?" 

Pierson looked down at Doggett. "A Scottish dirk." 

Mulder sighed. "Isn't that a dagger?" 

"It has a fifteen inch blade--" 

"I'll ask MacLeod." 

"You don't trust me?" 

"Not with John's life." 

The sound of fighting had stopped and Mulder looked down the hill. Doggett and MacLeod were setting the long poles down. They talked briefly then turned to walk up the hill to the house. His lover's shoulders were drooped and he was limping. When John caught sight of Mulder watching him, his shoulders straightened and he hurried past MacLeod up the hill. 

Blood pooled in Mulder's groin as his sweaty lover neared. He looked beautiful. When he caught a whiff of John's masculine scent, Mulder became even harder. They paused to look at each other hungrily before falling into each other's arms and kissing passionately. Mulder felt the trembling muscles beneath his fingertips as he ran his hands up and down John's back while he kissed him. 

Doggett flinched and a groan escaped his lips as Mulder's fingers grazed over a tender patch of skin. 

"C'mon, John, I'll run you a hot bath." Mulder kept his arm around Doggett's waist as they walked into the house. 

"Jesus, Fox, every inch of my body is bruised." 

"It's a good thing that you're an immortal. At least by tomorrow you should be feeling fine." 

"Yeah, until my next training session. I'm not sure I'm cut out for this. MacLeod wasn't even winded and the few shots I got in he seemed to shrug off." 

Mulder let go of Doggett when they stepped into the bathroom. 

"John, MacLeod is a full immortal and heals faster than you. If I wasn't afraid of losing you, I'd suggest trying what Adam suggested about killing you again." 

"Doubts, Fox?" Doggett asked tiredly as Mulder started the bathtub filling then helped him undress. 

"Only where you're concerned, I'd rather not take any chances. Come on, guy, climb into the bathtub and soak. I'll get some liniment to rub into your muscles and some soft sweats for you to wear." 

"You're going to baby me?" Doggett smiled as he grabbed Mulder's wrist and pulled him up against his naked body. 

"Does it bother you?" Mulder's hands trailed down Doggett's back over a raised welt to his butt, he squeezed the firm globes, and pushed their groins together...his clothed covered one against John's bare cock. 

"No," Doggett moaned as his arms tightened around Mulder's body and he rested his forehead against his lover's. "I just wish I wasn't so exhausted and sore." 

Mulder chuckled. "I'll give you a couple of hours to recover." 

"Brat." Doggett kissed the tip of Mulder's nose and let him go. 

They stared tenderly into each other's eyes for several seconds, before Doggett turned and climbed into the bathtub. He sighed as he sank into the hot water. The tub wasn't quite filled yet, but the water felt good on his legs. He closed his eyes and leaned back as the water slowly crept up his body soothing sore muscles as it went. His mind drift back to the tennis court and MacLeod's instructions. 

The water was shut off, and Doggett opened his eyes. He must have drifted off, the water was now past his nipples, and Mulder was kneeling next to the bathtub. 

"Here drink this." Mulder handed him a mug. 

"What is it?" 

"Hot lemon tea with honey and a shot of vodka...sorry, no brandy." 

"You remembered." 

Mulder kissed him. "Of course. How are you feeling?" 

"Better. The hot water is helping." 

"Mac and Adam are making dinner." 

"Is this ex-boyfriend of yours any good at cooking?" 

"He's okay, he's had five thousand years to learn." Mulder picked up a washcloth and started washing Doggett's shoulders and chest. 

"Fox, you know, with us living all the way out here in the middle of nowhere we should learn to cook." 

"We cook okay." 

"We cook okay with bottled pasta sauces and canned meats. Would you know how to bake a loaf of bread or make barbecue ribs?" 

Mulder sighed, "No. I tried ribs once they came out rare in the middle and burnt on the outside. What are you suggesting?" 

"We can buy one of those step-by-step video cooking courses and try making some of the recipes." 

"Together?" 

"Of course together, I'm not going to get stuck doing all of the cooking." 

"So does this mean you're going to stay here with me?" 

Doggett reached up, pulled Mulder's head down, and brought their lips together for a sweet kiss. "I'm going to quit the FBI and stay with you, if you don't object. I love you, Fox." 

A smile lit up Mulder's face. "I love you too, John. Are you sure about quitting the FBI? I don't want you to regret your decision and come to hate me for it." 

"I've learned a lot while working on the X-Files. Fox, people I used to consider my friends I could no longer trust. Our government is under attack from within and without; we need to stop them before it's too late. I can't fight them in my current position, but we can fight them together. Isn't that what you had planned by bringing me here?" 

"Yes, sort of. John, when you're done with your training there's something I want to show you in New Mexico. I want you to see this before you decide to quit the FBI." 

"I don't have to see anything to make my decision. Isn't it enough that I want to be here with you?" 

"It's more than enough, John, but I still want you to see this." Mulder rested his hand on John's chest, underneath the warm water. 

"Okay, if you insist," Doggett sighed. 

Mulder smiled and leaned in to kiss him again. "Drink your tea. Dinner should be ready in an hour. Afterward I'll give you a massage then we can go to bed." 

"As long as going to bed doesn't involve sleeping." 

Mulder chuckled. "Not if you have something better in mind than sleeping." 

"I want to fuck you again." 

Mulder's grin grew across his face. "Anything you want, John, but I expect to return the favor someday." He stood. "I'm going to see how dinner is coming. I placed a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt on the counter for you. I'll be back shortly." 

Doggett sipped the tea as he soaked. He was starting to feel fine, he no longer needed a massage, but he wasn't about to tell Fox that! He wanted to feel those long strong fingers on his body. Setting the empty mug on the ledge, Doggett stretched and stood. He pulled the plug and started the tub draining. Then he grabbed a towel. While he toweled off he stood in front of a full-length mirror. The welts were already beginning to shrink. It's been over six months since he was shot in the back and killed by Sheriff Frey, why hadn't he noticed how quickly his body healed since then? Looking back, Doggett remembered several incidents where cuts healed incredibly fast and bruises never got to the purplish-blue stage. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" 

Mulder's voice pulled Doggett back to the present. 

"Just thinking." 

"About what?" 

"About this ability to heal quickly and why I didn't notice it before now." 

"Did you have that many opportunities to notice it?" 

"A few. But it never sank in or I didn't want to admit something was wrong." 

Mulder wrapped his arms around Doggett's body from behind. "I'm here for you, John, if you ever want to talk." 

Doggett met those gentle hazel eyes in the mirror and smiled over fantasies fulfilled. He felt at home in Mulder's arms. Safe, loved, and cherished. 

"I better get dressed. How's dinner coming? I'm starving." 

"It's almost ready. Do you still want me to give you a massage after?" Mulder could see that Doggett was moving easier. 

"Yeah, I'm still really stiff and sore." 

Mulder smiled at John's small lie as he watched his lover dress. "Well I'll take care of that for you after dinner. Let's go have a beer on the patio while we wait." 

* * *

Dana Scully's apartment  
Saturday, December 8, 2001  
9:00 p.m. 

Skinner's telephone call had made Scully's decision to quit the FBI and move to the West Coast even easier. She would put in her two-weeks notice Monday morning. Since she was still on maternity leave she wouldn't have to go back to work. Now Scully just needed to find a place to live and a job in San Diego. At least she'd be able to stay with Bill and Tara until she was settled. 

Scully did an online search for homes for sale in the San Diego area. With a child to raise she no longer wanted to live in an apartment. She wanted a house with a backyard where William could play. Maybe she'd be able to convince her mother to move to San Diego with them. 

Her mind turned to her ex-partner. It had been great seeing Mulder again. He looked healthy like he was taking care of himself. Why they had threatened her and William's lives to keep Mulder away from them was still baffling to Scully. What was the point of separating them? It wasn't as if they were still working together on the X-Files. She could see that they wanted to control Mulder. He must still be important to their plans. Otherwise they would have killed him. Scully wished she could help Mulder, but she had William to think about now. 

She printed off several pages of home listings and realtors before shutting off the computer. William started crying so she hurried over to his bassinet to attend to his needs. She froze dead in her tracks as she watched the mobile spin around on its own. 

* * *

The Cody Ranch 

Doggett lay on his belly upon the soft mattress with Mulder straddling his thighs. They were both naked. As Mulder leaned forward to work some scented massage oil into his shoulder muscles, Doggett could feel Mulder's penis against his butt. He shuddered with excitement, wondering what it would feel like to be fucked. With each touch of those long fingers the hornier Doggett became, his cock was an aching throbbing rod of need beneath him. 

"Fox, I want you to take my cherry." 

Mulder's fingers stopped kneading his sides. "Are you sure?" he asked after several long seconds of silence. 

"Yep, I'm sure. I've fantasized about being fucked by you for a long time." 

Mulder planted a kiss on the center of Doggett's back. He then moved off his lover and grabbed one of the pillows off the bed. "Lift your hips, John. I'll try to make this an experience you'll never forget." Mulder placed the pillow under his lover's hips. 

Doggett spread his thighs as Mulder kneeled between them with a tube of KY he'd gotten from the nightstand. He felt Mulder's fingers spreading his cheeks apart then the weird feeling of his lover's tongue teasing up and down his crack until it came to his anus. The burning sensation of Mulder's tongue pushing into him was so erotic it deadened the pain, making him even hornier. No one had ever done something that intimate to him before. He closed his eyes enjoying the sensation that sent spikes of pleasure down to his cock. He started humping the pillow. 

Mulder chuckled as he pulled back and flipped open the tube of lube. "Enjoying that, sweetheart?" he asked as he warmed the gel in his hand before applying it to his lover's crease then eased one greased finger inside. He pumped it in and out several times before attempting to push a second finger inside. 

Doggett gasped in pain. "Jeez, Fox!" 

"If you want I can stop," Mulder said, not really wanting to stop. He was painfully hard and looking forward to fucking John. 

"Don't you dare!" Doggett growled as he pushed back on the fingers. The painful burning was beginning to diminish as Mulder worked more lube into him. 

Mulder continued to tenderly stretch John for several minutes until he could work a third finger inside the incredibly tight opening. "John, did you ever fantasize about anyone else fucking you?" 

"I never fantasized about having sex with anyone other than you. I will admit that I've admired a couple of other men in the past for their looks, one I worked with on the NYPD and then there was Skinner." 

"Hmm, I've had fantasies about the big bald beauty." Mulder chuckled as he pulled his fingers free and greased up his cock. 

"Tell me about them?" Doggett asked. He wanted to take his mind off the large cockhead spreading his ass cheeks apart and pushing against his small opening. He knew it was going to hurt. 

"I usually fantasized about him when I was home alone at night, a few times I'd fantasized while sitting in his office. I used to imagine what he'd do if I got up, walked around his desk and gave him a blowjob." Mulder paused as he pushed past the tight ring of muscles. His lover's body stiffened at the invasion and a whimper escaped John's lips. "Sh, sweetheart, it's going to be all right. I'll stay still until you adjust to my size." 

Doggett chewed on his lower lip, it hurt like a bitch. It felt like a baseball bat had been pushed into him. He wanted to beg Mulder to take it out, but the tough Marine in him wasn't about to beg. So he decided to take it like a Marine and was glad he did, for as quickly as the pain had come it began to fade and his body relaxed around the hard organ penetrating him. 

Mulder held John tenderly until he felt his trembles subside. He kissed the side of his lover's face before he started to slowly push into his lover. Mulder was big, so he was extremely careful not to go to fast. Once he was buried up to his balls, he remained still. It took a great deal of willpower not to start thrusting into the tight heat incasing his cock. 

A new sensation stirred in Doggett's belly. It was the wonderful feeling of being filled. He could feel Mulder's cock throbbing inside of him and the strands of his pubic hair against his ass. It felt incredible. When Mulder slowly started to thrust in and out of him, John discovered a whole new height in pleasure with the first thrust that struck his prostate. He cried out and writhed as his hard cock pushed into the pillow beneath his hips. 

"Fuck, John, you're so beautiful. I wish I could see your eyes. Next time we'll have to do this face to face," Mulder murmured as he watched his cock disappear inside his lover's body with each thrust. It was gripped deliciously by the tightness of John's rectum. Mulder hadn't fuck another man since Krycek when they were in Russia together before Krycek betrayed him again. 

"Touch me," Doggett pleaded. He wasn't able to get the friction he wanted from pushing into the soft pillow and his hands were occupied holding himself in a kneeling position against Mulder's relentless fucking. 

Mulder removed one hand from John's hips to reach under him. He gripped the hard organ that was dripping precum onto the pillow and started pumping it in time with his thrusts. It only took a few hard pulls, and to Mulder's pleasure, John was spurting over his fist. Mulder continued to thrust against the tight clenching muscles that were trying to milk his cock. He finally gave into the need and came hard, filling his lover with his come. 

When he regained his breath, after several minutes, Mulder raised himself off John's back and slowly pulled out of his body with a wet plop. He examined his lover for tears. Finding none, he sighed with relief. "John, how do you feel?" 

"Mm, fine...great...never better," Doggett purred in a sleepy voice then rolled onto his back. 

Mulder leaned down and kissed him tenderly. "Love you." 

Doggett's arms went behind Mulder's neck as he claimed those lips in a more passionate kiss. "Back at ya, loverboy." 

Mulder collapsed into Doggett's arms as they kissed for several minutes until Doggett ended it suddenly. 

"Shit. Let me up." 

"What's wrong?" 

"I need to take a dump really bad." 

Mulder rolled off him and chuckled. "Oh yeah, that happens sometimes." 

He watched as John hurried into the bathroom. Mulder's hand rested on his belly, he felt blissfully happy and content for once in his life. He wished that he and John could just disappear and enjoy a normal life together without aliens and government conspiracies. Mulder resigned himself to tell John all that he knew about the conspiracy and the upcoming battles. He hoped his lover would still want to stand by his side once he found out how deeply they would be involved in the upcoming battles for their planet's future. Mulder climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom to wash up. 

* * *

Continued part 2 

* * *

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Jo B


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